LEMON TREE
If only we could all get along.
Should You Watch It?
LEMON TREE is a serious, sorrowful drama rather than an enjoyable night out. Its central conflict is easy to understand: Salma, a Palestinian widow, wants only to tend the lemon grove her family has cared for through generations. Israeli security officials see the trees as a possible hiding place for attackers after the defense minister moves next door.
The film asks why ordinary people cannot live in peace. It shows the heavy cost of security measures for peaceful Palestinians, but the source review finds that it does not fully show the hatred and terrorism that lead to those measures. The result is thoughtful but one-sided, and the movie feels more like taking medicine than being entertained.
Because the content is at the discernment level but the entertainment value is modest, watch it at home if the subject interests you, where you can discuss its perspective with your family.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESSalma is a Palestinian widow caring for a lemon grove handed down through generations of her family. When the Israeli defense minister moves into a house beside the grove, authorities order the trees uprooted for security reasons.
Salma hires a lawyer and begins fighting for her trees. The defense minister and his wife do not fear Salma herself. They fear that killers could hide in the grove and attack the minister. His wife, Mira, eventually takes a public stand for Salma.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means this film has a worthwhile subject but limited entertainment value. LEMON TREE contrasts the relative wealth of Israel with the poverty of Palestine and tries to raise a difficult question about living together amid terrorism and security measures.
The story is sad and deliberate. Its central situation gives the drama weight, but the review describes the movie as more like taking medicine than entertainment. The film also fails, in the source review's judgment, to show the hatred behind the security threat, leaving its treatment of the conflict incomplete.
The Worldview
LEMON TREE presents a largely moral conflict between property rights and security rights along the Israeli-Palestinian border. It invites sympathy for Salma, a peaceful Palestinian woman whose inherited grove is threatened, while also recognizing that terrorism brings costly and unpleasant security measures.
The film makes Israel look heavy-handed and contrasts Israeli wealth with Palestinian poverty. The source review finds that it gives the impression that Israelis and Palestinians want to get along, but fails to show the hatred that leads to the security response. The movie therefore presents an incomplete picture of the conflict, particularly when the cause of a disturbance near the defense minister's home is left unseen while Israeli troops respond by ransacking Salma's house.
The source review also identifies false pagan environmentalism when trees are equated with people who have souls, along with left-oriented politically correct, socialist content that turns the conflict into class warfare. The story's longing for peace is understandable, but biblical peace includes both justice and truth: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
A largely biblical, moral worldview weighing property rights against security rights on the Israeli/Palestinian border, with some false pagan environmentalism when trees are equated with people who have souls, plus some left-oriented politically correct, socialist content turning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into a class warfare; three obscenities, no profanities; a party is disturbed by what sounds like gunfire, an innocent woman’s house is ransacked by troops looking for snipers, a woman tending her lemon grove is mistreated by Israeli troops; no depicted sex but a lawyer appears to want sexual favors from a client; no nudity; modest alcohol use; no smoking; and, intimidation and married woman is unhappy in her marriage.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Salma’s grove represents generations of family care. What responsibilities do we have toward what has been entrusted to us?
Luke 16:10 · Psalm 24:1The film weighs property rights against security rights. How should Christians pursue both justice and the protection of innocent people?
Micah 6:8 · Romans 13:1–4LEMON TREE asks why people cannot get along, while the review points to terrorism as part of the answer. How can we seek peace without ignoring evil?
Romans 12:18 · Ephesians 4:15Mira takes a public stand for Salma. When should we speak for someone being treated unjustly?
Proverbs 31:8–9 · Isaiah 1:17The Final Word
LEMON TREE has a serious moral concern and gives families material for thoughtful discussion, but its sadness, limited entertainment value, and incomplete picture of the conflict make it better suited to home viewing. Our answer is WAIT FOR HOME. For a lighter family choice, see.
