Amreeka
Muna (Nisreen Faour) is a non-religous Palestinian, making her an outsider on both sides of the Israeli border. Against all odds Muna wins big in the US green card lottery. The single mother leaves the West Bank with Fadi (Melkar Muallem), her teenage son, and with dreams of an exciting future in the promised land of small town Illinois. However, they arrive in the US soon after the start of the Iraq war, when anti-Arab sentiment runs high.
As Fadi navigates high school hallways the way he used to move through military checkpoints, the indomitable Muna scrambles together a new life cooking up falafel burgers as well as hamburgers at the local White Castle.
The heart-warming comedy-drama is the first feature from US filmmaker Cherien Dabis.
- Director:
- Cherien Dabis (feature debut)
- Writer:
- Cherien Dabis
- Cast:
- Nisreen FaourMelkar MuallemHiam AbbassAlia ShawkatJenna Kawar
Reviews & comments
A movie looking for a story line
School holidays often make for restricted movie choices and we went to "Amreeka" (despite the Flicks review) because it rated 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Well done Flicks -- we should have paid attention! This was a movie with potential but no idea how to achieve it. For the first hour or so we all wanted to punch the main character in the face! A series of...
Variety
pressA culture-clash dramedy whose background in Middle-East conflict is leavened with vibrant energy, balanced politics and droll humor by first-time feature director Cherien Dabis.
The New York Times
pressOne of the most accomplished recent films about a non-European immigrant coming to the United States.
Roger Ebert
pressA heartwarming film, not a political dirge. Much of this warmth comes from the actress Nisreen Faour.
Los Angeles Times
pressThis is a pointed, emotional story of a divorced Palestinian woman and her son who immigrate to the U.S. just after the invasion of Iraq, a story that benefits from Dabis' background as a child growing up in the Midwest during the Gulf War as the daughter of a Palestinian father and a Jordanian mother.
Hollywood Reporter
pressDabis, a Palestinian-American, has thoroughly re-energized the genre with refreshing wit, honest emotions, incisive observations and a perfect cast.
Christchurch Press
pressPalestinian woman Muna (Nisreen Faour) has grown tired of the daily checkpoints and roadblocks she has to endure to get to and from work.
Variety
pressA culture-clash dramedy whose background in Middle-East conflict is leavened with vibrant energy, balanced politics and droll humor by first-time feature director Cherien Dabis.
The New York Times
pressOne of the most accomplished recent films about a non-European immigrant coming to the United States.
Roger Ebert
pressA heartwarming film, not a political dirge. Much of this warmth comes from the actress Nisreen Faour.
Los Angeles Times
pressThis is a pointed, emotional story of a divorced Palestinian woman and her son who immigrate to the U.S. just after the invasion of Iraq, a story that benefits from Dabis' background as a child growing up in the Midwest during the Gulf War as the daughter of a Palestinian father and a Jordanian mother.
Hollywood Reporter
pressDabis, a Palestinian-American, has thoroughly re-energized the genre with refreshing wit, honest emotions, incisive observations and a perfect cast.
Christchurch Press
pressPalestinian woman Muna (Nisreen Faour) has grown tired of the daily checkpoints and roadblocks she has to endure to get to and from work.
A movie looking for a story line
School holidays often make for restricted movie choices and we went to "Amreeka" (despite the Flicks review) because it rated 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Well done Flicks -- we should have paid attention! This was a movie with potential but no idea how to achieve it. For the first hour or so we all wanted to punch the main character in the face! A series...
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