Free Zone

FREE ZONE (2005) - Aug. 4, 2007
Wow. I went in with low expectations, but I don't think it's possible to lower your expectations enough to enjoy this film. Pretentious to the extreme, plotless, and featuring a couple of main characters who we never really get to know, and whose actions and motivations remain mysterious throughout, I'm really not sure what the point of this movie is supposed to be. Maybe it's supposed to be some kind of allegory, I don't know -- that bizarre ending has to be a political metaphor or something, though I have no idea what it's supposed to mean (nor do I care). Pretentiously directed by Amos Gitai, and featuring murky cinematography that looks like it was shot with a camcorder from Wal-Mart, this featured a reasonably good performance from Natalie Portman and little else. This film is actually kind of inspiring, because if a movie this bad can not only get made, but get a star as big as Portman, maybe I have a chance after all. 1/2*