Miral (2010)

Miral: Directed by Julian Schnabel. With Hiam Abbass, Asma Al Shiukhy, Neemeh Khalil, Jameel Khoury. A drama centered on an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict.

“I was amazed at how non-political this movie was. There was a great deal of controversy around it, so I was expecting a polemic. It was nothing of the kind. It portrays the childhood and adolescence of a Palestinian girl, along with stories of her mother and her school headmistress. These stories illustrate, to some degree, the Palestinian history from 1947 to 1993. But the focus is on the womenu0026#39;s stories. I think this is a movie that will be appreciated far more by women than by men. It is poignant and respectful. Most women will find something with which to identify in this film. The cinematography is beautiful and the lead actors are compelling in their roles. The movie has been criticized as disjointed, but thatu0026#39;s because real life does not have a formulaic dramatic arc. And sadly, there is no u0026quot;conclusionu0026quot; to the movie because the conflict is ongoing.”