philosoraptor42

Amreeka (2009)

I'd been meaning to see this for quite a while based on the trailer. It seemed almost akin to "Amelie" in its level of sweetness.

Amreeka is about a woman and her son who travel from Palestine to the US for a better life. In particular, the son hopes for a better education and greater opportunities than he could receive in Palestine.

The central actress playing the boy's mother is an incredible actress and really helps to carry the film. But the character she is playing is so naive that it's rather hard to suspend disbelief.

The son actually seems to acclimatise quicker than his mother does.

Still if you can get past the aspects which are exaggerated either for dramatic effect or for laughs, it has to be.admitted that this film is quite funny and very sweet.

However the film also ends rather suddenly with the characters being sweet without a sense that plot lines were really resolved.

This film did not have a high profile release and I can see why. In spite of good direction and great performances, particularly from the central protagonist, there isn't much of a story here.

C-