Bardlerx Strictly average movie

Executscan Expected more

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Claire Dunne One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

saighton I can't add a whole lot to what people have already said apart from the fact that this is FAR from propaganda. It IS told from the perspective of the occupied Palestinians, but in this film, these are a civilised, educated, privileged family, and somewhat of an ideal for Palestinians to look up to, especially the dignified restraint of the father.'Private', because the house was private until the soldiers came to occupy it, and 'Private' because the real conflict, (of which the house in the film is a microcosm), is anything BUT private, with the world constantly looking on and preoccupying itself with the conflict in one way or another... Ironic. Nothing is perfect, sometimes the best thing to do in life is get on with what you have, as you can't tell what will happen... I wish both sides in the conflict would realise this and give it a go for a few decades - they've already tried a few decades of conflict...

kosmasp Some might argue that this movie rides on the rise of the documentary movies. And while this movie is shot like one, it is very clear that it ain't a documentary. That leads to the question, how real the situations depicted in the movie are? While I can't tell you that, neither can anyone else talk about the situation, if he/she hasn't lived it.Back to the "reality" of the movie. Although we know that actors play a written scenario, this movie feels more real to me than any reality show on TV (not that I watch them)! Having said that and not wanting to spoil to much of the story, I'll only say that I was impressed with the actors (although I don't think all were professionals).Especially the guy who played the father. The story really grabbed me and I was amazed by little things. Things that in the western World you'd take for granted, but clearly they're not. At least not for everybody in this world ...It's not a movie that'll "entertain" you in a funny way, but it might make you think about some things in a different light.

peri90 I found the film Private to be an excellent depiction of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Throughout the film you feel yourself holding your breath, identifying yourself with the tension that exists in the house. The film humanizes the current situation in the middle east. Part of what is excellent about this film, is that this it is acted by both Arab and Israeli actors. One can only imagine themselves on the set of the making of this film. Or sitting in a round circle discussion with the actors.The plot: The father does an excellent job acting his part. You are both upset at and understanding of the father. His choice to stay in his house is probably the best decision, and hardest decision. It requires a very strong person, who can watch their children be scarred but can remind themselves that in the end, the other choice would scar his children even more so. The mother sums it up when she says to her husband, "I would like to be like you, but I am not." The cinematography is excellent, because it is not excellent. The low budget look of the film lends to the reality of the situation. It reminds one that, though the story is "fiction", this story has happened. An excellent, intriguing, thought provoking, film. Everyone plays their part to the fullest.

Dave D-2 Any films that explore fact-based story lines pertaining to the ever-tense Israeli-Palestinian conflict and manage to convey both the weaknesses and the dignities of both Palestinians and Israelis without partisanship, ought not to be interesting and uplifting. "Private", the story of a privileged Palestinian family of 7 (3 boys, 2 girls and their parents) whose house is suddenly invaded and occupied by Israeli soldiers, ought to be both interesting and uplifting. I found it eminently interesting (even exciting), but, sadly not too uplifting. I felt that the screenwriter strove perhaps a bit too hard to avoid blaming either side. To be sure, the performances of those playing the parts of the Palestinian family were beyond reproach and the same can be said of the Israeli actor leading the soldiers. No mean feat when you consider that these parts were played by Jewish and Arabic actors. I was especially impressed with the two youngest children - a boy and a girl both affected in wildly different ways by the course of events they are forced to endure. While "Private" does eventually strive to convey the utter senselessness of the Israeli-Palestinian war and the possibility of hope for a future where violence need not be resorted to, the sad reality of the true story upon which this film is based, impedes any likelihood that you will leave the cinema (or your favourite movie-watching seat in your house) feeling a sense of hope when the end credits start to roll. I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival. I chose to see it because from the basic plot outline I read, I was hoping for a reprise of the kind of film going experience I had watching the Shapiro/Goldberg/Bolado docu "Promises" during the 2001 Film Festival here, which in fact was vastly superior to "Private". I will conclude by mentioning that I have rated this film 7/10.