Civilisées

If you never understood anything to the war in Lebanon, this might not be the best film to help you along... But, if you're interested to the havoc that wars (whether civil or not) can cause, this is a film for you. Funny, bitter and touching (I could add a dozen other adjectives...) "Civilisées" is the tale of a few people (especially servants who have been left behind when the bosses fled to safer places), isolated and lost in a senseless conflict where having a good time can mean taping dynamite to a stray cat... the problem being that stray cats can be very affectionate and WILL try to cling to you even after you've lit the fuse...

This excellent film exactly reflects what was going on during the Civil War in Lebanon. You feel it more if you have lived that period in Beirut. Such films raise the standard of film making in Lebanon, and there is no need for it to be banned. Actually this film was shown only once in its complete version during 1999's Beirut Film Festival, and I had the honor of seeing it there in the presence of its director Randa Chahal Sabagh, some of its actors, and music composer Ziad Rahbani. It was never released theatrically until this date in Beirut. I consider this film in the same standard as late director Maroun Baghdadi's films. Bravo Randa for portraying the exact reality!

The movie was quite realistic without been tough or distressing. The characters are well and ironically described. You get an idea about what happened then and there. I think it can be instructive and ethic.