Amreeka

Directed by Cherien Dabis

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Palestinian woman Muna (Nisreen Faour) has grown tired of the daily checkpoints and roadblocks she has to endure to get to and from work.

She also fears for what sort of future her son Fadi (Melkar Muallem) could have growing up in Bethlehem. So when the opportunity to go to America, thanks to her sister's sponsorship, arises, she jumps at the chance. ``Having to pack all our things to go to another country is much better than being prisoners in our own,'' reasons Muna.

However, life in their new home doesn't get off to a good start. Fadi allows Grandma's cookie jar to be confiscated by customs officials, unaware that their life savings are also contained within.

Muna also finds getting a job is not quite as simple as she thought. No bank will hire her so she is forced to seek employment at a fast-food restaurant. And with American feelings still raw from the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, it isn't a great time to be Islamic Muslim in the ``land of the free''. Writer-director Cherien Dabis's (TV's The L Word) feature film debut is a charming and compelling tale of life in post-9/11 ``Amreeka''. (the Arabic pronounciation of America).

Less showy and button-pushing than the similarly themed My Name is Khan, the film's lack of gloss is one of its chief assets.

Dabis's use of hand-held cameras adds to the kitchen-sink realism of the drama (particularly during the early scenes in Bethlehem) and intimacy of the story. There's also a refreshing emphasis on character which provides a showcase for the talents ofnte Faour in particular.

Usually there's a danger with this type of movie of things getting too preachy or po-faced, but here there's a wicked sense of humour running through the script. When Muna arrives at US border control, the guard begins questioning her by asking what country she is from. ``I don't have a country, I'm from the Palestinian territory.''

``Your occupation?''

`` Yes, it has been occupied for 40 years.''

That seemingly effortless mix of laughs and pathos isn't just limited to dialogue either, Dabis constructs a clever montage of Muna's attempts to secure employment that is both humorous, heartbreaking and deceptive.

- © Fairfax NZ News