The Lemon Tree, an allegory of Israeli-Palestinian strife from the director of The Syrian Bride, was a NY Times' critics pick back in April. The film is "a wrenching, richly layered feminist allegory as well as a geopolitical one," wrote Stephen Holden. Adds Marc Savlov: "The most remarkable aspect of Lemon Tree, however, and the one that's most likely to land this film on many year-end Best Foreign Film lists, is [Hiam] Abbass' devastating and marvelously restrained performance."