Reseñas de la crítica

An impressive backlog of suffering is kept at arm’s length from the camera to irregular effect. It makes for intense drama, snapping our attention, but conceals background pain we are aware of... Never receiving a face to face interaction or interview makes for authenticity but neglects insight into a region which many audience members won’t fully comprehend.

"Freedom Fields" is both a love letter to the sport and a sharp critique of post-revolution Libya – penned with hope, but also inked with frustration... [It's] a force of art, filled with passion, courage and rightful indignation.

[A] superbly made, stirring documentary... Acting as her own cinematographer (as well as writing), [Arebi's] keen eye drinks in the heaving Tripoli streets, from the stunning black-and-gold-toned opening training sequence onwards.

Arebi's patiently observational film is full of small moments that encapsulate horrific prejudice or warm, resilient humour. There is no fairytale ending but the stubborn refusal of another generation of women to be treated as second class citizens makes its mark. This is about much more than kicking a ball.

A tighter running time and a better exploration of the broader political context would provide the film a little more kick. Unfortunately, "Freedom Fields" scores an own goal, as the deliberate frustrations of its story hold it back from the engaging underdog story it could have been.

Though she’d originally planned to produce a more “slick, esthetically beautiful film,” she ended up with something that had “an interesting, chaotic, raw, punk element” — a reflection of the country’s rough edges as it lurches toward the next, uncertain chapter in its history.

Beautifully shot, subtly told, by turns moving, infuriating and exhilarating, this is a celebration of an incredible group of women that you simply must meet for everything they represent

The broader appeal of Freedom Fields is encapsulated in the opening scene, wherein a few of the women drive around at night, laughing and eating ice cream. It’s kinetic, driven by the movement of the car, but also intimate: the pleasure of a hot summer night with friends.

In the case of British/Libyan filmmaker and photographer Naziha Arebi and her TIFF-premiering documentary Freedom Fields, the moments captured over five years demonstrate how a modern, forward-looking woman, one devoted to family, education and profession, navigates a society in which women are directed to remain mute, defenseless and powerless.