L'insulto

The poster for The Insult, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, doesn't quite do the product justice. It makes the film look like a simple tragic drama; in fact The Insult builds on its intriguing premise of a simple insult escalating, and balances feelings of remorse, tensions and even comedy and absurdity in a brisk tone and style. A film where the prosecutor and defense are father and daughter, and the shock reveal, is a film that isn't totally taking itself seriously. But it reflects on very serious wounds in the past and the lack of reconciliation after, a followup to a tragic story previously depicted in an earlier Oscar nominee Incendies. But Incendies was Canadian and The Insult is actually Lebanese, the first Lebanese film to be nominated, and it speaks in a national voice.

With only some minor violence, The Insult's story largely escalates in the courtroom, and anyone interested in courtroom films will find this great material. I had to stop myself from saying "courtroom drama," because again, it's not only that. The absurdities provoke laughs, the drama provokes thought, and The Insult has something for everybody, even people who know little about Lebanon (The film itself explains much of the gaps in knowledge for the viewer).

The movie is set in Lebanon, and based on real Lebanese problems. However, the setting could be in another country, another time, with two other groups that hate each other. It is about the universal problem of wrath and resentment boiling over. The movie is well done, with some unnecessary dramatic flourishes - the story is dramatic enough in itself and didn't need these additional items (Don't wish to say what exactly in order not to have any spoilers). In any case it deserves its Oscar nomination.

I imagine "The Insult" will inspire strong feelings among certain viewers who have a close connection to the topic, and especially those from parts of the world that feel strongly one way or another about the Palestinian conflict. Most of the rest of us will probably learn a little something about the cultural and religious conflict between Lebanese Christians and Palestinians, something Americans (where I'm from) certainly don't ever learn much about unless we actively seek it out.

I very much enjoyed "The Insult" and I appreciated its attempts to be objective about a topic that most people who are directly affected by it can't be. People don't generally like to hear that there is often not a right or wrong side to a given issue but rather a vast middle area of gray, especially not in our current world climate where there's a "with us or against us" mentality about most things. But while I appreciated the film's approach, I couldn't help but feel it had a little bit of an after school special quality about it, a kind of preachy "can't we all just get along" tone that I don't necessarily disagree with but which feels a bit naive and facile in our extremely complicated times.

A worthy effort and one that has a lot to recommend it. It just didn't hit it out of the ball park.

Grade: A-

The Insult is the definition of a great cinematic achievement. It is the new movie directed by Ziad Doueiri and tells the story of Toni a Christian Lebanese who got into a fight from an insult blown out with a Palestinian plumber. Haunted by their past and the civil war, they went really far with it and the movie took unexpected turns and surprises. Doueiri and Touma wrote a splendid courtroom drama script that is really tense, exciting and really fair for the two sides. It reminded me of the great Sidney Lumet movies with a touch of political background. That film has great characters rich with backup stories and it wouldn't be great without the marvelous cast. Each actors gave an Oscar worthy performance. Thumbs up for Karam, Hayek and Diamand Bou Abboud. I must give credits to Camille Salemeh because he led the show for sure! Doueiri worked hard on letting the actors give their best for the characters. Cinematography and score were also on a high level here! Doueiri is a superb director. His debut West Beirut has always been every Lebanese's favorite. The Insult was competing in Venice (It won best actor for Kamel Basha and had a 5 minutes standing ovation), Telluride, TIFF and it the official submission for Lebanon at the Oscars for best foreign language movie. Daring, bold and smart, this movie is big step forward for the Lebanese cinema.

Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri needs no introduction, having directed a series of successful films over the years. While "West Beirut" will forever remain my favorite movie, his latest effort, "The Insult", further confirms his skill as a talented storyteller. In short: it's one of the most intense Lebanese movies I've ever seen. What makes "The Insult" so good is the way Doueiri takes a seemingly ordinary situation and builds a web of suspense around it. Adel Karam (in one of the best performances of his career) plays Toni, a Lebanese christian who can't seem to let go of the past. One day, he gets into a heated argument with a Palestinian worker (played by an excellent Kamel El Basha), which leads to a domino-like sequence of unpredictable events. Doueiri masterfully explores the dark side of each character, especially as it relates to patriotism, politics, and the consequences of taking revenge. I'd say this is Doueiri's specialty, and the sense of discomfort he creates throughout this exceptional film will hold you in its grip at every turn. And when it ends, it leaves us with much food for thought, something that's been missing from most recent Lebanese films. Having been criticized so many times for not supporting local movies, it's refreshing to finally encounter something worth recommending. Ziad Doueiri's "The Insult" is a terrific achievement.