AMREEKA

AMREEKA - 2009

RATED - PG-13 for brief scene of teenagers smoking marijuana and some language. A pretty mild PG-13.

RATINGS - 11 AMAZON (4.5/5),  57,102 NETFLIX (3.5/5), 1,105 IMDB (7/10).

THEMES - Relationships, justice.

AWARDS - Nominee for BEST FEMALE LEAD & BEST FEATURE in the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards. Winner at 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

STORY - What happens when your life is turned upside down by your husband divorcing you for a slimmer, younger woman and walls are built around where you live adding hours every day to your commute to work and you spend every penny to keep your son in a private school?  You take the first best opportunity that comes along to get out of that situation. Muna, a Palestinian single woman, does just that when she receives an offer to relocate free to America.  This begins the adventures and misadventures of someone immigrating to America with the hopes and promises of a better life. She lands in a small town in Illinois to live (temporarily is the plan) with her sister and physician husband and teenage children until she can establish herself and son. She has two degrees and has had professional experience in the work world so it shouldn't take long - wrong! Told with humor as well as heartbreak (it's just after 9/11and anyone from the Middle East is the enemy), this National Geographic film is a reminder of why people still come to AMREEKA and how easy it is to be misunderstood and to struggle to make a living no matter how hard you are willing to work.  It is worth watching by families whose children may be finding it difficult to accept those who don't talk or dress or act just like us. Changing schools as an American teenager can be very difficult.  Try coming from another country, especially one we see as an adversary.  Highly recommend. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews.  07/04/2010.

LINKS - IMDB & TRAILER,  NETFLIX.