Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

jotix100 Julian Schnabel's "Miral" was shown recently on cable. Not having seen it before, we decided to take a chance. The director whose previous work showed a rare quality in telling a story, working on Rula Jebreal's novel and with a screenplay by the author, takes a look at recent history, analyzing it from the less popular side of the Palestinians, who have lived in conflict after the creation of the state of Israel in 1947.The story deals with a kind hearted lady, Hind Husseini, who is surprised to find a large amount of orphans roaming the streets. She takes the children into her home, and later creating a school in which to educate and house the young innocent victims. Hind's life was given to help the unfortunate children that came into her school and her life.Miral, a young woman, was the product of the system Ms. Husseini created. Unfortunately, she gets to witness, first hand, the way her fellow Palestinians were being treated by the Israelis. In fact, Miral falls in disgrace when the man she falls in love with, forces her to carry a device which fortunately does not explode. Her life changes instantly as she has to experience the way she is treated and abused by the Israelis.Mr. Schnabel's sympathies are with the Palestinians, something that he has not been able to avoid in the way he presents the material. The many years of fighting between Israel and its neighbor has produced wounds that are hard to heal. The film ends with the Oslo Peace Accords of 1993 in which some hope for peace seemed possible, something that in real life never happened.The wonderful actress Hiam Abass is seen as Hind, although she is only seen briefly as she goes from a young woman to her death. Freida Pinto, the Indian actress does what she can with a role that should have been played by a young Palestinian actress. There are familiar faces among the cast. Vanessa Redgrave and William Dafoe are seen in minor roles.

Saad Khan Miral – CATCH IT (B-) The story begins in war-torn Jerusalem in 1948 when Hind Husseini (HIAM ABBASS) opens an orphanage for refugee children that quickly becomes home to 2000 orphans. One of the children is seventeen year old Miral (FRIEDA PINTO, Slumdog Millionaire) who arrived at the orphanage 10 years earlier, following her mother's tragic death. On the cusp of the Intifada resistance, Miral is assigned to teach at a refugee camp where she falls for a fervent political activist, Hani (OMAR METWALLY, Munich, Rendition) and finds herself in a personal battle that mirrors the greater dilemma around her: to fight like those before her or follow Mama Hind's defiant belief that education will pave a road to peace. (RT) First of all it's nice to see finally movies about Palestinian' prospective after Paradise NOW on international level. The Jews may have suffered during World War II but how can justify themselves by doing the same thing in Palestine and as they did in Bosnia. It's defiantly a nice attempt but the movie is not as effective as suppose to be. The movie could never determine which woman story they want to tell. It focuses on one woman and we forget about the other one and her thoughts. Frieda Pinto has done a good job as always, she is really impressive and getting better with each new release. Hiam Abbasss has done a decent job. Cameos by Vanessa Redgrave and William Defoe are nice. Anyways, it's a nice movie about Israelis terrorism on the Palestinian. It's about time world should accept that the situation for Muslims is as worst as as it was for Jews during World War II.

billcr12 Miral is the true story of the founding of an orphanage in Jerusalem in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war. Hind Husseini came across fifty five kids living in the streets and took them home for food and shelter. Six months later, she had two thousand children to look after. Jumping forward to 1978, a five year old girl, Miral, whose mother has died, is sent there to live by her father. At fifteen, she is sent to teach at a refugee camp and sees first hand the suffering of the Palestinians. She meets a militant, Hani who tries to convince her of the need for a militaristic solution to the conflict. Her mentor, Hind Husseini believes that education is the key to their people's long term survival. Of course, in the end, no easy answer is provided. Freida Pinto is too distractingly beautiful as Miral, but she gives a good performance as the title character and the film is well worth a viewing.

moviexclusive Political films based on actual events are usually angry sentiments and have a strong point to make. This biographical drama is no different. Based on Rula Jebreal's novel, the emotionally charged production gives us an insight on the political unrest and instability happening on the other side of the world. Regard it educational if you will, this Julian Schnabel directed film will leave you wondering what it takes to live a life surrounded by the horrors of war.The film chronicles Hind Husseini's effort to build an orphanage in Jerusalem after the 1948 Arab Israeli War. This began with her crossing paths with 55 orphaned children while on her way to work one day. She took them home and before she knew it, she had almost 2000 orphans under her care. The Dar Al-Tifel Institute was born, and thousands of orphaned children came under Husseini's care. Some 30 years later, Miral, a motherless child was sent to the orphanage by her father. Upon turning 17, she is sent to a refugee camp where she experiences the tension between Israel and Palestine, and the possible destructions it can bring to her own life.Director Schnabel is known for his award winning works The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) and Before Night Falls (2000), and it comes as no surprise that the New York born filmmaker's latest project deals with such politically charged themes, despite the foreign lands the story takes place in. Through gritty cinematography (read: shaky camera work) and choppy editing (read: abrupt cuts and transitions), Schnabel shows us a world which we have only read about but never had the chance to experience. Sure, there may be no beautifully decorated sets with perfectly synchronized action sequences, but this is the slices of reality which the locals have to live with day after day.It is also clear that the film presents a Palestinian perspective of things, and may appear one sided to viewers who are expecting this to be objective. Do note, however, that this is based on a memoir by Jebreal, and it is only natural that the war is seen through her eyes.Amidst the violence and assaults, there is tenderness and compassion in the 112 minute film as Schnabel tells a story of remarkably strong women surviving in times of turmoil. Their intertwined tales may be unevenly told, but you'd feel a sense of passion and zeal as they go through life fighting for their beliefs and causes.Playing the central character Husseini is Hiam Abbass (The Visitor, Munich), a Palestinian actress who injects the much needed fervour into her character. Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) plays the titular character, and viewers get to see how a girl who is initially brought up safely inside the orphanage's walls gradually grows into a young woman who is awakened by the reality around her and has to fight for her convictions. Appearing in supporting roles are familiar faces like Willem Dafoe (Daybreakers) and Vanessa Redgrave (Letters to Juliet) in the first few minutes of the film.The film ends without any closure or resolution, which reflects the harsh realities happening on the other side of the planet we live in. And that, in our opinion, is the best way to leave us reflecting on the unnecessary pain and tragedies brought about by war.www.moviexclusive.com