Sous les bombes

This movie was chosen by filmmovement.com. Often I find the movies they chose to lack heart and leave the viewer bereft in some way. This is the exception. True, the subject matter is devastating. However, the way it is handled is so delicate that it somehow inherently contains a message of hope. I have seen this movie several times, and find that the characters have stuck with me. I've not gotten enough of them.. I want their story to continue. I will, however, caution the viewer: if you don't want your political consciousness raised, you must stay away from this movie. It in no way coerces the viewer; it simply offers such a different perspective, you can't help but be redirected in subtle ways. Well done to the entire cast and crew of this movie.

What better way to shoot the movie than amidst the rubble and destruction resulting from the the 2006 Lebanon War. How's this for realism in movies?

Zeina (Nada Abou Farhat) captures the raw emotions of grief and despair of possibly losing a young son in the war, as she races against time to locate him. This desperation moves Tony (George Khabbaz) to be more helpful to her. George Khabbaz succeeeds in showing the viewer his change of heart.

Great shots of the Lebanese countryside specially those places untouched by the air strikes.

The viewer is tempted to brush up on what provoked the war. Will this happen again to a land that has known armed conflict for so long?

"You do not want war! I don't want war! All we want is to live! Is it too much to ask? " Lebanon has seen many wars since last half of century. 1948, 1958, 1968, 1975, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1996, 2006, 2007, 2011 till 2017. This film was shot during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah (a Lebanese Shia Islamic Party). Israel launched a massive assault in response to killing of 2 Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah. It fired thousands of rockets targeting the residential areas of the southern Lebanon city that killed more than a thousand civilians. The attacks from both the sides went on for 33 days. This is a story about a Lebanese mother and her quest to find her son who was believed to have been rescued after the building he was in was bombed. This movie is not about script writing, cinematography, direction or even acting. It is distinctive and unparalleled in making of it. It was filmed in the war zone towards the tail end of the actual war when smoke was still rising from the debris of the buildings and the smell of gunpowder was still in air . Shot completely in Lebanon, it is raw, poignant and chilling. It was Lebanon's 2009 academy award submission .A good watch.

We were fortunate enough to see this film at the Sundace Film Festival, and I have rarely seen a more accomplished effort at portraying one of the worst atrocities of the past decade. Director Philippe Aractingi's ability to bring two feature actors into Lebanon on the tenth of thirty-three days of brutal Israeli bombing is nothing short of magnificent. Before seeing the film, I thought it may be a better case study of the war-torn environment left by the indescriminate bombing of civilian areas by the Israeli Army, with some actors thrown in at the last minute in a patchwork attempt to create a feature film. I was painfully wrong. This film is a compelling character drama told through the eyes of real people experiencing the worst kind of hell on earth. With unbelievable footage of the actors in the middle of the ongoing conflict, international media coverage, and the U.N. relief mission, Aractingi deftly (and powerfully) combines his fictional characters will real life survivors to tell the story of a mother trying to find her son in the ruins of war-torn Lebanon. The main character's decision to hire the initially lecherous, but ultimately compassionate and sympathetic taxi driver Tony to take her on her journey results in a touching tale of humanity and the place of individuals in a world beyond they're control. When asked about his filming techniques in the Q&A after the movie, Aractingi expressed his desire for the movie to be seen for the message it carries, as it should be.

This is a really good film. And due to the fact that it was shot during the actual crisis gives it a documentary feel. Complimented with that is the superb acting of the lead characters. It's like real life unfolding on screen - the rampant destruction, needless pains & senseless atrocities of the war. The rustic music also suits the storyline perfectly.

A couple sequences though didn't quite fit into the flow of the story: - the sex scene seemed unnecessary and the breaking down of the car at the very end seemed like a little forced upon melodrama.

Would recommend this movie to anyone who is in a mood to find out how the Middle East politico-religious crisis affects a common citizen.