Lebanon (2009)

During the First Lebanon War in 1982, a lone tank and a paratroopers platoon are dispatched to search a hostile town.

Director:

Samuel Maoz

Writer:

Samuel Maoz

Stars:

Yoav Donat, Itay Tiran, Oshri Cohen

14 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yoav Donat	...	Shmulik
Itay Tiran	...	Assi
Oshri Cohen	...	Hertzel
Michael Moshonov	...	Yigal
Zohar Shtrauss	...	Gamil (as Zohar Strauss)
Dudu Tassa	...	Syrian Captive
Ashraf Barhom	...	1st Phalangist (as Ashraf Barhum)
Fares Hananya	...	2nd Phalangist
Reymond Amsalem	...	Lebanese Mother (as Reymonde Amsellem)
Bian Antir	...	Lebanese Father
Aisha	...	Lebanese child
Fatima	...	Lebanese child (as Fatma)
Khaled Salam	...	Lebanese Boy (as Khaled Salama)
Iad Abu Nama	...	BMW Driver
Hussein Mahagna	...	Truck Driver

Storyline

June, 1982 - The First Lebanon War. A lone tank and a paratroopers platoon are dispatched to search a hostile town - a simple mission that turns into a nightmare. The four members of a tank crew find themselves in a violent situation that they cannot contain. Motivated by fear and the basic instinct of survival, they desperately try not to lose themselves in the chaos of war.

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Plot Keywords:

tank | tank crew | lebanon | lebanon war | female frontal nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing bloody war violence, language including sexual references, and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

CTV International [fr] Official site

Country:

Israel France Germany

Language:

Hebrew Arabic French English

Release Date:

15 October 2009 (Israel)

Also Known As:

Líbano

Filming Locations:

Israel

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$17,145 (USA) (6 August 2010)

Gross:

$367,798 (USA) (17 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ariel Films, Arsam International, Arte France

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Upon accepting his award at the Venice Film Festival, Samuel Maoz said "I dedicate this award to the thousands of people all over the world who, like me, come back from war safe and sound. Apparently they are fine, they work, get married, have children. But inside the memory will remain stabbed in their soul."

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Goofs

The car in the courtyard next to the pile of clothes that the woman falls into has a number plate that was introduced in Lebanon in the 90s.

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 28 April 2010 (2010)

User Reviews

Metaphors and the realities of war

Writer/director Samuel Maoz has created in his film LEBANON a statement about war we are not likely to forget. Based on his own experiences, this film about the Israeli Invasion of Lebanon in June of 1982 (the first Lebanon war) internalizes the responses of young soldiers sent on a mission that should have seemed simple but became anything but simple. The reason the film's message is so strong is that it forces four young, virginal soldiers in a tiny enclosed atmosphere where they must by proximity depend on each other to confront the whole question of the validity of war. It is exceptionally powerful.

A solitary army tank and a small platoon of paratroopers are sent to assure that a hostile Lebanese town bombed by the Israelis is secure. In the tank are four soldiers - Shmulik (Yoav Donat), Assi (Itay Tiran), Hertzel (the exceptionally handsome and brilliant Oshri Cohen), and Yigal (Michael Moshonov). They are not seasoned soldiers and what lies outside their protective tank is terrifying to them. Inside the tank is a claustrophobic, filthy, smoky, and foul smelling space where the four soldiers are able to view the effects of war and their tenuous grasp on reality through only the periscope of the tank. Occasionally the lid of the tank is opened to drop in a casualty along with a moment of fresh air to breathe, but basically these four men must grapple with the horrors of killing and destruction outside their tank. The aspects of human frailty that war exposes appear like autopsies on the minds and gradual mental deterioration that overtakes each of these vulnerable and emotionally unprepared young men. They may attempt humor but it is thwarted by the gore outside their iron shield of the tank where Lebanese soldiers attack and mothers suffer the loss of their children in the bombings and shootings of the little village. Maoz wisely places enough of the battle scenes outside the confines of the tank, making the audience as shocked by the atrocities of war as viewed from the exterior as the restricted glimpses of that war available to the tank crew.

This is most assuredly an anti-war film but rather than waving flags of attack and endless scenes of gore, Maoz keeps it distilled and in doing so makes it even more horrific. The cast is brilliant, delivering performances so well crafted that they linger in the minds eye long after the film is over. The haunting musical score is by Nicolas Becker and Benoît Delbecq and the almost impossible cinematography is by Giora Bejach . In Hebrew, Arabic, French and English with subtitles. Highly recommended.

Grady Harp