Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

aushak Justifies & glorifies killers. Sponsored by Canadian government - amazing. Looks more like propaganda movies shot by Nazis. How is it possible to produce such films in Canada? It looks like producers are ready to blow up couple coffee shops in Israel themselves. I could not believe that such movie can be produced in my country. Plot is very feeble, but hatred is real and disturbing. Doctor ends up assisting suicide bombers to kill people, how more dramatic can they get? Take a gun and go shot people in banquet hall? Some idiots already do this after watching propaganda like this. Good acting and good camera work. Gebels would approve.

maggies-111-174365 I stuck with this movie, even though I found Chloe's indecision and helplessness annoying at times -- I guess she was supposed to symbolize the idea that both sides in the conflict are equally deserving of our compassion and understanding, and I don't feel this way at all. The Palestinians have been an occupied, oppressed people for generations, and Israel is ethnically cleansing them in an attempt to take over all of historic Palestine...The main reason I'm writing this review, however, is confusion about the ending (here comes the spoiler...): the film makes it look as though Chloe has smuggled something in a black bag (like a bomb) into Israel. It looked like she left it on the bus, and I started waiting for an explosion. Then it turns out that Rand's the suicide bomber, apparently having masqueraded as an Israeli, even down to wearing the same navy blue nail polish as Ava. It must be easier than I thought to get through the checkpoints...And why make it look like Chloe's got a bomb? Are we supposed to believe that she was tempted to commit a violent act to show solidarity with Rand's family? Probably not, as the cute little Jewish boy who clearly was killed by Rand's bomb is a happy, healthy stand-in for Rand's pathetically sweet son Safi. Thus, all violence is equally horrific and wrong -- again equating the two sides, which is wrong -- they're totally disproportionate, with the bulk of the suffering on the Palestinian side. Two final questions: what kind of an Arabic name is "Rand," and was Chloe supposed to be having a sexual relationship with Rand (and Ava)? Watch Evelyn Brochu in "Orphan Black" (Canadian TV series) -- I like her as an actress. Am just criticizing the writing of this movie.

mike-4976 I can't believe some of the negative comments about this film. If ever you want to get some enlightenment about what it is like to live in or near the occupied territories then you must see this film. It is a really powerful film that has a subtle,realistic and non-judgmental narrative. The film does not try to justify terrorism attacks (as another reviewer suggested) but rather gives an insight into how normal nice everyday people can -because of a combination and build up of horrendous circumstance - feel such hatred towards "the other side". And when it seems like there is no future for themselves they are driven to commit acts of atrocity. The film doesn't try to say this is OK - it simply provides an insight - that is both brutal and poignant - into how and why these horrible events can unfold.I thought the acting was brilliant. I felt a connection with all the lead characters. The actress playing the doctor was in most scenes and she did an amazing job and was very believable. The scene stealer was the young Arab boy who was a charmer and formed an odd bond with the Doctor. It is a film I can't stop thinking about and in my mind that makes it a very special movie.

nekoudacreative Topical films are supposed to be important because they speak to compelling questions of the day like the struggle for justice for Palestinian people. This film however doesn't do the topic justice because up until two thirds (at least) of the way into it there is no real dramatic conflict: no tension, no story and a whole bunch of relationships that add up to absolutely nothing. Only when the lead character, a Quebecoise doctor working in the Territories has to save a dying Palestinian baby at one of the notorious Israeli border crossings does the film finally take off. Up until that point the lead actress plays one note and is so wooden in her performance that I actually found myself counting the moles on her neck to keep myself engaged. The film tries to tackle the moral question as to whether terrorist acts are justifiable by Palestinians living under brutal oppression. It doesn't take much of a clear stand until the final moments of the film but (without spoiling the ending) it seems to imply that terrorist acts against Israelis are justified. There is a thin line here between what the character finds justifiable and the point the filmmaker is trying to make. Nonetheless, in the end the filmmaker seems to justify the murder of non-combatants which I think reflects both a deadly oversimplified understanding of the politics of the region and is morally indefensible.Ironically the director is crippled by the same "white man among the savages" colonialist perspective as her protagonist. (Which is why these films generally get funding even when the purport to come out on the side of the colonized as in Dances with Wolves, Un Dimanche à Kigali, etc.). That said, the Palestinian cast is excellent, the cinematography, art direction and location shooting are production accomplishments. Unfortunately the promise of being able to learn meaningfully about an important current political and social topic were not delivered on. Even as some viewers may feel morally cleansed having gone through the experience of watching this film, in the end they will most likely not have learned much about it's context nor become sufficiently motivated to act or question the complicity of themselves or their own governments in various forms of national or racial oppression.