O Insulto

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.

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.

A superbly constructed and written, excellently directed and wonderfully acted film. It is specifically about Lebanon, but the kind of conflict it depicts, and the attitudes taken up by the antagonists, could and do flare up anywhere. The film is even-handed in depicting the factions. Everyone has their reasons, their justifications, their excuses. The full gamut of society, from President to car mechanic, is involved, implicated, complicated. Certainly one of the best movies I've seen this year.

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 INSULT- 90% I was quite annoyed as i wanted to be the first Lebanese filmmaker to have an Oscar nomination but this movie is very well deserved for its nomination. The story and the way it was structured was absolutely perfect. The main two actors were very impressive which balanced other weaker actors. The cinematography is basic but effective. Adel Karam is quite the actor. The conflict in the story is very intriguing and Raw. I am so glad that a Lebanese movie was finally showcased in the world and I only dream of more to come. The history of Lebanon is so diverse and emotional that I am surprised that there aren't at least 40 movies related to all the conflicts lebanon had to withstand. The character development was shown in simple glimpses of certain situations. I was also happy that the director Ziad was not biased towards a certain character but was enriching and compassionate with both of them. The message in this movie is what was so astounding: "Despite out experience, ego, and pride, we are all in this together." A must see. Story wise and execution: 35/35 Acting: 21.6/25 Camera Work: 16.8/20 Sound: 16.1/20