This week at Erbak Movie Reviews, we hear a cry of defiance blossoming in the heart of a small lemon grove. With this week’s film, Lemon Tree, we witness the quiet yet powerful resistance of a woman standing up against a world that seems to have made it its mission to belittle women.
Just a Garden... or Something More?
Salma is a Palestinian widow living a modest life. In her homeland, her voice is barely heard. She lives alone, with her small lemon grove in front of her house being her biggest reason to go on. The lemon trees are not just her livelihood but also her hope. Her childhood, her youth, her memories — they all took root among those yellow fruits. It wasn’t just a garden; it was her home, her sanctuary.
A Threat to Security(!)
A barbed wire fence at the edge of Salma’s garden marks the boundary between Israel and Palestine. Right across from her house, the Israeli Minister of Defense and his wife have moved into a new villa. Soon after, the minister begins to see the lemon trees as a security threat and orders them to be cut down. And so they will be. After all, could a few trees really be more important than a politician’s safety? What if terrorists used the grove to sneak up and attempt an attack?
A Ruling is Made
When Salma receives the official order to have her trees cut down, she is stunned. But once the shock wears off, sorrow gives way to anger. Her first step is to consult a lawyer. Unfortunately, her lawyer doesn’t offer much hope. After all, what could a Palestinian widow possibly do against a powerful Israeli minister? A woman like her, along with her hopes and her lemon trees, should simply fade away. There was no place for them — or their dreams — above ground.
No Hope?
Everyone, including her lawyer, insists she has no chance. But Salma is not someone who gives up without a fight. That lemon grove is her life, and she’s determined to protect it no matter what. She has done no harm to anyone — so why were they coming after her? These were the thoughts that haunted her every morning. When her initial appeal is rejected, Salma refuses to back down and decides to take the case to the highest court.
Love Knows No Rules
In this lonely struggle, Salma and her lawyer Ziad find each other. Though Ziad doesn’t hold much hope for a favorable outcome, he doesn’t ignore Salma’s plea for help. In an unexpected twist of fate, the two form a connection. And soon after, love finds them too — a young lawyer and a widowed woman much older than him. It was an unlikely match. The land they were born in would never accept it, but love plays by no rules.
The Trees Must Live!
Mira Navon, the wife of the Israeli Defense Minister, finds herself deeply disturbed by the situation Salma is being forced into. Each time she looks out her window, she falls more in love with the enchanting grove. But her husband sees only danger. As he stirs up a storm with his paranoia, Mira begins to see the injustice of it all. She doesn’t share his fears. On the contrary, she believes he’s wrong and that the trees deserve to live, not be destroyed.
A Tiny Taste of Freedom
Salma’s cry becomes a beacon of hope — not just for herself, but for all Palestinian people and especially for women. Sadly, she’s up against a powerful minister, and the fate of the lemon trees had likely been sealed long ago. All she could do was delay the inevitable. Between them stood politics, bloodshed, and a small lemon grove. The trees became a symbol. What Salma truly longed for was freedom. But in this vast world, even a tiny bit of freedom seemed too much to ask.
Enjoy the film.