Forbidden Lie$
Encyclopedia
Forbidden Lie$ is an Australia
n documentary released in September 2007. It was directed by Anna Broinowski.
, author of the book Forbidden Love, purportedly the true story of "Dalia", a young Muslim woman in Jordan
murdered by her family in an honor killing
because of her affair with a Christian
soldier
. The documentary first depicts Khouri as a woman bravely exposing a brutal and true story. Eventually, her account is challenged, first by Jordanians, then by Malcolm Knox, an Australian journalist. The film cuts between interviews with Knox, Khouri and other individuals (like friends and family), sometimes showing the participants as they watch others talk about them. Through it all, Khouri defends the accuracy of her work.
Ironically, Khouri's first critics are Jordanian women: feminists who, when interviewed, take issue with her western perspectives of Muslim
women as victims with no control over their lives. (Notably, when one Jordanian dissenter visits an office for assisting victims of abuse, the director of the facility remarks that they have received no donations from royalties on Khouri's book, which she claimed would happen.)
Many details in the book do not hold up under close scrutiny. Khouri's descriptions of geography and certain locales in Jordan are wrong. (Hotels, a gym and various businesses mentioned did not exist during the time covered in her writings.) Her statements of restrictions requiring women to wear the hijab
and having male escorts when they travel outside the home clash with urban scenes of women walking unescorted and uncovered. Nobody living on the street where Dalia was said to reside remembers such a crime ever happening. Dalia's father could not have remained out on bail pending his prosecution because murderers in Jordan are not given bail, nor are they tried in Shariah court. While parts of the Palestine hospital where Khouri says Dalia's body had been taken are found to match writeups in the book, others are inaccurate, including her description of the morgue
.
As the film progresses, it begins to reveal other inconsistencies in Khouri's biography, as well as allegations against her unrelated to Forbidden Love, including the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonds from an elderly woman neighbor in Chicago
. Khouri is also found to have lied about her real name, having children and about living in the United States
for much of her life, including during the periods of time covered in the book when she claimed to be in Jordan.
Stubbornly maintaining her writing to be factual (though eventually admitting to the use of literary license), Khouri journeys with the filmmakers to Jordan to prove Dalia and her murder were real. With Khouri unwilling to disclose specific information about Dalia on camera, the documentary's director lets her do so off camera. When Khouri's allegations fail to find support in official Jordanian records, she counters with the charge they were altered to protect innocent people from reprisal. Then, after initially saying Dalia was slain in Amman
, Khouri is forced to "reveal" that it actually was in Irbid
. Khouri also changes when the murder occurred, shifting the events from the 1990s to 2001. This timing proves to be critical because that would mean the killing of Dalia took place after Khouri had already written most of her manuscript.
Once Khouri returns from Jordan, not having found any concrete evidence to back up her claims, the focus of the documentary shifts to the allegations against Khouri, especially the ones involving fraud. Khouri shifts blame for stealing from the neighbor to her Greek
mother in law and her husband, John Toliopoulos, even as he constantly champions for her throughout the film. (Earlier, Toliopoulos expresses hopes for rejoining his wife in America
; this is intercut with Khouri stating their marriage has been over for some time.) Khouri also claims to have been sexually molested as a child by her father.
The film draws to a close with Khouri having admitted no wrongdoing and still living apart from her husband. Closing titles indicate that the FBI continues to investigate allegations against Khouri, and she hopes to become a human rights attorney.
The tone of the documentary is largely a skeptical one. Certain events are reenacted while the respective parties weigh their truthfulness, with the event being altered on screen to reflect the differences between Khouri's own words and reality. (In one scene, Dalia's brutal murder is dramatized on screen, ending with the actors involved rising and laughing, including the one playing the victim.)
awards for 2007.
On 24 April 2008, Forbidden Lie$ won the "Golden Al Jazeera
award" for a long film at the 4th annual Al Jazeera Documentary Festival.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n documentary released in September 2007. It was directed by Anna Broinowski.
Synopsis
Forbidden Lie$ tells the story of Norma KhouriNorma Khouri
Norma Khouri is the pen name of author Norma Bagain Toliopoulos . She is the author of the book titled Honor Lost in America, and Forbidden Love in Australia and the Commonwealth, released by Random House in 2003..Her best-selling book, which purported to described the honor killing of her best...
, author of the book Forbidden Love, purportedly the true story of "Dalia", a young Muslim woman in Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
murdered by her family in an honor killing
Honor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
because of her affair with a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
. The documentary first depicts Khouri as a woman bravely exposing a brutal and true story. Eventually, her account is challenged, first by Jordanians, then by Malcolm Knox, an Australian journalist. The film cuts between interviews with Knox, Khouri and other individuals (like friends and family), sometimes showing the participants as they watch others talk about them. Through it all, Khouri defends the accuracy of her work.
Ironically, Khouri's first critics are Jordanian women: feminists who, when interviewed, take issue with her western perspectives of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
women as victims with no control over their lives. (Notably, when one Jordanian dissenter visits an office for assisting victims of abuse, the director of the facility remarks that they have received no donations from royalties on Khouri's book, which she claimed would happen.)
Many details in the book do not hold up under close scrutiny. Khouri's descriptions of geography and certain locales in Jordan are wrong. (Hotels, a gym and various businesses mentioned did not exist during the time covered in her writings.) Her statements of restrictions requiring women to wear the hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
and having male escorts when they travel outside the home clash with urban scenes of women walking unescorted and uncovered. Nobody living on the street where Dalia was said to reside remembers such a crime ever happening. Dalia's father could not have remained out on bail pending his prosecution because murderers in Jordan are not given bail, nor are they tried in Shariah court. While parts of the Palestine hospital where Khouri says Dalia's body had been taken are found to match writeups in the book, others are inaccurate, including her description of the morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
.
As the film progresses, it begins to reveal other inconsistencies in Khouri's biography, as well as allegations against her unrelated to Forbidden Love, including the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonds from an elderly woman neighbor in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Khouri is also found to have lied about her real name, having children and about living in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for much of her life, including during the periods of time covered in the book when she claimed to be in Jordan.
Stubbornly maintaining her writing to be factual (though eventually admitting to the use of literary license), Khouri journeys with the filmmakers to Jordan to prove Dalia and her murder were real. With Khouri unwilling to disclose specific information about Dalia on camera, the documentary's director lets her do so off camera. When Khouri's allegations fail to find support in official Jordanian records, she counters with the charge they were altered to protect innocent people from reprisal. Then, after initially saying Dalia was slain in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Khouri is forced to "reveal" that it actually was in Irbid
Irbid
Irbid , known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela , is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate. It also has the second largest metropolitan population in Jordan after Amman, with a population of around 660,000, and is located about 70 km north of Amman on the northern ridge of...
. Khouri also changes when the murder occurred, shifting the events from the 1990s to 2001. This timing proves to be critical because that would mean the killing of Dalia took place after Khouri had already written most of her manuscript.
Once Khouri returns from Jordan, not having found any concrete evidence to back up her claims, the focus of the documentary shifts to the allegations against Khouri, especially the ones involving fraud. Khouri shifts blame for stealing from the neighbor to her Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
mother in law and her husband, John Toliopoulos, even as he constantly champions for her throughout the film. (Earlier, Toliopoulos expresses hopes for rejoining his wife in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; this is intercut with Khouri stating their marriage has been over for some time.) Khouri also claims to have been sexually molested as a child by her father.
The film draws to a close with Khouri having admitted no wrongdoing and still living apart from her husband. Closing titles indicate that the FBI continues to investigate allegations against Khouri, and she hopes to become a human rights attorney.
The tone of the documentary is largely a skeptical one. Certain events are reenacted while the respective parties weigh their truthfulness, with the event being altered on screen to reflect the differences between Khouri's own words and reality. (In one scene, Dalia's brutal murder is dramatized on screen, ending with the actors involved rising and laughing, including the one playing the victim.)
Awards and nominations
On 22 January 2008, Forbidden Lie$ won Best Documentary in the Australian Film Critics AssociationAustralian Film Critics Association
The Australian Film Critics Association or AFCA is an Australian film critic organisation.-History:Formed in 1996, AFCA began as the Melbourne Film Critics’ Forum, expanding to a national organisation in 2004...
awards for 2007.
On 24 April 2008, Forbidden Lie$ won the "Golden Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
award" for a long film at the 4th annual Al Jazeera Documentary Festival.
External links
- http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/10/entertainment/et-forbidden10
- Review of Forbidden Lie$ by VarietyVariety (magazine)Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...