Amreeka

The difficulties faced by Palestinian immigrants to the United States in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Iraq provide the context for Cherien Dabis's earnest dramedy, which covers familiar territory in an unpretentious and reasonably pleasant fashion. Nisreen Faour gives a big-hearted if somewhat sitcom-ish performance as Muna, a divorcee in Ramallah afforded an unexpected opportunity to escape the Israeli occupation—and provide her teenage son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), an American education—by emigrating to a small town near Chicago, where they move in with her sister, Raghda (Hiam Abbass); Raghda's doctor husband Nabeel (Yussef Abu Warda); and the couple's three daughters. Unfortunately, Muna loses all the money she's brought with her, and when she tries to find work, all she can land is a job at a fast-food restaurant. Meanwhile, her son faces bullying at school, and as Nabeel's practice suffers from a decline in patients, Raghda increasingly pushes him to return to Palestine, not realizing how things there have changed for the worse. But Amreeka (Arabic for “America”) is not a screed; its criticism is gentle rather than biting, and leavened with humor. The immigrants meet supportive people—especially the principal of Fadi's school, who is Jewish but puts himself on the line for the boy while also taking a shine to Muna. Although it may not be a hard-hitting treatment of anti-Arab bigotry in America, Amreeka makes its points with warmth and feeling. Recommended. (F. Swietek)