Amreeka

Imagine 'America' being said by a heavily accented new comer... once you've established that, you'll notice that 'Amreeka' is the exact way 'America' would be said with an accent. In this case, an Arab accent. If you look above, the movie poster is for a film (that has already been out and gone since september) called "Amreeka". I never got the chance to share this amazing indie film that has captured the hearts of all viewers... and as pathetic as this will sound, I haven't even seen it yet. I'm just basing it on the trailer, previews, and reviews. Point is... look around the world today. Observe the world's inhabitants. Observe their lives and/or struggles. You'll notice that many of these struggles arise once you've been labeled 'foreigner' or 'immigrant' or even 'F.O.B'. Who actually wants to be called that? Intentionally? These days, being a FOB or immigrant is the worst thing. People immediately assume you've jumped a border or swam across an invisible line. No. In most cases, the act is done legally. Cherien Dabis thinks so too. Amreeka tells the story of a Palestinian mother and son who flee from Gaza for a better life in America (as promised in movies, media, etc). Everything seems ok for the time being... they have a roof over their heads with their American- Palestinian relatives in a middle of no where town in the U.S. True troubles start when the mother is in search of a job and her son is trying to fit in for a normal school life, where he is bullied for pretty much being an arab at a time when America's war in the middle east was heavy. Their relatives themselves are going through interesting phases upon their family's arrival. "We live in America now- we're not in Palestine!" "If you live in this house, you live in Palestine!" Sorry, I just had to throw in that passionate quote from the movie. It shows a youngsters point of view on being an arab living in America. It seems the youth is losing touch with culture and heritage... that needs to change.