Salt of This Sea

2008
6.8| 1h49m| en
Details

Born in Brooklyn to Palestinian refugee parents, Soraya (Suheir Hammad) decides to journey to the country of her ancestry when she discovers that her grandfather's savings have been frozen in a Jaffa bank account since his 1948 exile. However, she soon finds that her simple plan is a complicated undertaking — one that takes her further from her comfort zone than she'd imagined.

Director

Producted By

Augustus Film

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Reviews

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment
Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable
SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie
Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Fairbrit This kind of pro Palestinian film does an injustice to the people of Israel, both Jews and Arabs. A filmmaker that does not show balance but rather a one-sided misinterpretation of facts, framing Israel in a binary of Jews = oppressors; Palestinians = innocents.I note that the director states this film was shot in 'Palestine.' Actually, it was Israel, so even this states an untruth about its location.If you want to see a fair and balanced representation of Israeli Jews and Arabs struggling with the wars and everyday lives, please see 'Bethlehem'; 'Waltz with Bashir'; 'Room 514' just for starters. At least these movies show Jews and Arabs as flawed human beings with both good and bad traits.So, if Palestine exists, please will the direct of Salt Of This Sea kindly answer the following:1) When was Palestine founded and by whom? 2) What were its borders? 3) What was its capital? 4) What were its major cities? 5) What constituted the basis of its economy? 6) What was its form of government? 7) Can you name at least one Palestinian leader before Arafat? 8) Was Palestine ever recognised by a country whose existence, at that time or now, leaves no room for interpretation? 9) What was the language of the country of Palestine ? 10) What was the prevalent religion of the country of Palestine ? 11) What was the name of its currency? Choose any date in history and tell what was the approximate exchange rate of the Palestinian monetary unit against the US dollar, German mark, GB pound, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan on that date. 12) And, finally, since there is no such country today, what caused its demise and when did it occur?
vivarto Rather than reflecting the life in PA territories, the movie is an illustration to the leftist and Arab anti-Israeli propaganda: Monstrous Israelis persecuting nice peaceful Palestinian Arabs and the deep connection" of the descendants of the Palestinian-Arab "the land of their ancestors".Not wanting to reveal much of the movie I will just comment on one fake incident: A Palestinian Arab driving his car is suddenly stopped by the Israeli soldiers who through the speakers in the army car tell him to take his shirt and pants off (for security reasons). He then tells his American friend that this is "normal". This this movie is promoting lies, because such thing extremely unlikely. I have traveled in the territories and have talked with many people. Never have seen or heard such thing. This is only one many such lies, I can't talk about them all without revealing the plot.
Film Ins. Jacir paints with precise strokes, each hue reflecting the truth in a way that entertains and enlightens. She creates a virtual travelogue of dispossession in the form of an outrage wrapped in a tragedy; paradoxically revealed in a beautiful film. It takes us beyond the fair and balanced view of history that each side has a point and reminds us that we are all on the same side and that is the only point that matters. The film forces us to see what is plain and in doing so makes clear the choices we make and the consequences of those choices. We are the central characters in this human drama.The film unfolds easily in a style that is both free and rebellious, through the reflection of a bruised and suffocated Palestine. The courage of the heroine, her unwavering strength, faith and rejection of injustice mark a path where everything is but difficult and her refusal to bury her dreams contrast starkly with the reality imposed on the characters. Salt of the Sea is a deeply layered film, a film that is quasi-militant and seeped in passion, but devoid of hatred of any kind. Salt of the Sea has proved to be a great discovery, a film that is both courageous and necessary. And as a bonus, a sublime find: Suheir Hammad - both beautiful and vibrant as she moves through a variety of emotions.Salt of This Sea compels us to make a choice between the cold comfort of indifference or the knowledge that we can make a difference. The turnstiles were installed by us in the land and in our hearts. Salt of This Sea reminds us that we have the power to tear those turnstiles down.
Christophe DeKroo Cinema, in my eyes, is an art. The best pieces of art in almost any medium are subjective pieces of work they allow you to understand what the artist's feelings, emotion, messages etc. are. However when inducing politics into art one should be very objective. It is impossible to set out a rational film on a political issue if the movie is made in a subjective manner. 'Salt of this Sea' is one such movie where a strive has been made to critique a very delicate situation in Isreal/Palestine, however it is done in such a narrow scope, and at times, disgustingly sentimental way. The mere fact that in the movie, the main character feels such a strong connection with a place she has never been before, is almost laughable, as is the demonising of almost all Isreali characters throughout the film. There can be no doubt that some of the plot and events in the film have merit, but there is an overwhelming bias toward one side of a very complex and challenging issue, that it does no justice to history of the story it is trying to tell.