Amreeka

Incredibly Accurate
For someone who grew up in the West Bank and moved to Illinois, I was amazed at how accurate this film is and how it included so many little details that were right on the money. This movie was able to capture so many emotions and the humanity of this entire experience. Honestly, I have never seen anything so close to my experience. This essentially is the story of my life. This accurately describes my experience and journey from the West Bank to Chicago.

every high school teacher should see this!
As there is so little responsible, empathic depictions of Arabs and especially Palestinians in the current media, this movie is a breath of fresh air. It accurately and endearingly shows the adjustment struggle of an Arab family to North America. I thought the high school scenes were poignant reminders of how high school classes need to be taught as if they were representations of the outside/"real" world - not free for all zones where you can say anything and not be held responsible! Everyone needs to learn "civilised" behavior,or else we all pay the consequences. I liked that they spoke real Arabic in Amreeka - did you know that alot of Hollywood Arabic is just gobeltygook? How disrespectful! Maybe we can start actually seeing Arabs in film as people, and not the stereotype that gives us permission to project our disowned feelings onto - what a concept! This movie moves us forward!

Charming, Funny and Genuine, but Ends Abruptly
This is a movie about a middle-aged woman from Palestine whose husband has abandoned her and their teenage son. Realizing that her working life in Palestine is a dead-end, and worrying about her son's prospects for the future, she decides to move to America. Most of the movie is spent following the main character's life in the United States.

The characters are absolutely believable. Bravo to the actors, old and young, who brought these characters to life. The writing avoids the obvious stereotypes which plague Hollywood productions, and provides a rich mixture of humor and drama. Obviously, the situation in Palestine is a foundation for this movie, but other themes are well-explored: being middle-aged and underestimated by others, the tribulations of adolescence, and the difficulties faced by anyone who finds themselves in a new homeland.

The one failing of this movie (and the only thing preventing me from giving it 5 stars) is that its plot has a beginning...

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