Lebanon

Many films claim to present war from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground, but very few force us to experience every nuance of the horrors of war alongside the fighters themselves. The four inexperienced young soldiers in Lebanon know little more about the implications of their actions than we do. The men hardly know each other, but must rely on each other for survival. We endure their everyday bickering and share their growing uncertainty. Neither the characters nor the audience are able to escape from the tank, creating a similar inescapable, claustrophobic environment as that evoked in Das Boot. Our only view of the outside world is through a periscope, and the air within the vehicle becomes heavy with urine, smoke and the palpable fear of the soldiers. The war is escalating, the tank is breaking, and the gunman won’t shoot.

Like the recent critically acclaimed Waltz With Bashir, this film focuses on Israel's 1982 incursion into Lebanon. Both films can be viewed as a form of therapeutic catharsis, as the directors themselves fought in the war and have spoken about the difficulties they have faced in coming to terms with the consequences of their military involvement. However, that is where similarities end; where Bashir offered stylish expressionist animation, Lebanon uses tough and unflinching realism to depict the emotional and ideological complications of the war.

Picking up the Golden Lion at last year’s Venice Film Festival, this film is part of the growing international reputation of Israeli film, as it proves itself to be a small country with many stories worth telling. Lebanon is an admirable and intriguing project and a visceral presentation of the nightmare of war.

Shoshana Eilon