Beaufort

Beaufort is a remarkable war movie, with a cinematic style that really says something about the war and the situation in which the troops are in. the story is told through the eyes of the main character, Liraz, who's awareness of himself and the nature of the battle he's in gradually deepens into a sharp and original view on war and fear of death. the tension that is created throughout the film is a result not of fast paced action events, but through a series of scenes that takes the viewer into the world of this outpost, with all its claustrophobia, and mixed emotions that include the thrill of danger and numbness toward tragedy, but also simple fear that cannot be overcome. I recommend this movie to everyone.

Right-wing audiences have criticized "Beaufort" for being left-winged, while left-wing audiences have criticized the movie for being right-winged. Immediately that should tell you this is a movie worth watching.

Like all great war films, "Beaufort" avoids situational politics and instead focuses on the broader, universal issue of war which all sides can agree upon: war is hell. Or specifically in this case, war is pointless hell. Here we have an excellent illustration; "Beaufort" is the story of a handful of soldiers who fight admirably to defend a fort, simply so that they can abandon it as planned a few days later. Folks, it don't get any more pointless than that. I would tip my hat to the genius who came up with such a great metaphor, but the funny thing is that the story came straight out of history.

(Note: although this film depicts the Israeli withdrawal from Castle Beaufort which was returned to Lebanon in 2000, it was actually filmed at a different fortress at the Golan Heights in Syrian territory currently held by Israel.)

Joseph Cedar directs this film in a tense, claustrophobic way with narrow, labyrinthine corridors that burrow deep into the mountain. I was instantly reminded of the classic submarine film "Das Boot" and wasn't surprised one bit when I read that Cedar was highly influenced by that film. "Beaufort" shares several qualities with "Das Boot" such as the facelessness of the enemy (all we see are the incoming mortars & missiles), the youth & inexperience of the soldiers (Beaufort's commander is 22 and most of the soldiers are 18- 20 years old), and of course the constricting, suffocating feeling of being stuck in a steel tube while, outside, the powers that be are deciding your fate.

One notable difference between "Beaufort" and "Das Boot" are the infrequent but powerful shots of the gorgeous landscape, the humbling presence of the 12th century ruins, and other scenes of nature which lend a positive breath of fresh air to an otherwise dismal setting. This, I'm sure, was very deliberate on the part of the director, and at one point there's a nice speech where one soldier says to another, "This will all be a tourist attraction, and you can bring your girlfriend here and tell her this is where Outpost Green once was."

And that, to me, is what separates "Beaufort" from the standard "war is hell" stories. Regardless of how the story ends up, you get a feeling that eventually the majesty of nature will prevail--or should I say the stupidity of humans will fail. Same thing, I guess.

Peculiar highlights of this film include a powerful, sad song sung by one of the soldiers in the barracks, and one of the cutest war dogs ever. (And if, like me, you always cringe at animals being used in films that aren't regulated by the AHA or RSPCA, don't worry I don't believe there was any animal cruelty here.)

Other great (anti-)war films that focus on the psychology of the soldier rather than the action of battle include: the aforementioned "Das Boot" set entirely in a German submarine, "None But the Brave" about an American & a Japanese platoon each stranded on a remote island together, and an excellent war-drama-comedy from Korea called "Welcome to Dongmakgol" about N & S Korean enemies meeting in a remote village where none of the villagers are aware that a war is going on.

All of these great films can be viewed free of politics if you just ignore the uniforms. Both right-wingers & left wingers alike can find common ground with the universal thought (to quote ex-Marine talk radio host Kim Peterson), "the only point of war is to kill people and break things!"

In 1982, Israel was forced to invade southern Lebanon in self defense after repeated attacks. But after holding a buffer zone for 18 years, with increasing casualties caused by a strengthening Hezbollah, the army's presence there began to seem pointless.

This is a story about soldiers stationed at an outpost in Lebanon just before the eventual withdrawal in 2000. It manages to raise many valid moral and existential questions without getting preachy or politically partisan. Beaufort is a strong film that really sticks in your mind afterwards. The dialogues spoken by the soldiers is very true to life and the movie is highly authentic in every respect. It is well directed, the cast is good across the board, and the visuals are persuasive and gripping. But most of all, Beaufort succeeds in giving you a real sense of the fear and suspense of being a sitting duck for Hezbollah rocket-launchers to fire at. It is utterly nerve-wrecking.

Minor flaws include the customary setting-up of a character's personality just before he gets killed, to make you mourn his loss more, but such obvious manipulations are few and don't significantly hurt the movie.

Beaufort is an impressive israeli movie with fantastic photography and With excellent cast but some of the scenes are stuck and prolonged too Much. Beaufort is a movie that make you look on the other side of the war,of the mental and the physical side of the soldiers.it makes you understand the difficulties,dilemmas and the unbearable fear with some excellent And Impressive action scenes that makes us feel the soldier's situation in the war. This is a movie that can show the world the condition and the position of the Israelis soldiers that know the Israeli-Palestine conflict and can show the human side in the war and not only the wild and savage side.

There aren't any real winners at war but there are real injured and dead soldiers and people.This movie show you.

This movie is simply amazing - but as mentioned else where - might be extremely problematic for the non Israeli, non IDF serving audience. Despite that - the movie has a universal notion that shines through: occupation wars that last for years on end with no clear objective except to stay in the occupied land cannot be won. This is hardly even war - its the use of naive young men, using their sense of patriotism and love for their country and willingness to serve it for a twisted, outdated political machination that ends up killing them and putting them in impossible situations. The movie was criticized for being far too left winged, but I view it as mostly right winged - it shows the camaraderie of soldiers, the bonds that can only be created, or so it seems, in a close knit military unit. Also - there are no women in the movie, not even by voice - which further serves to show a society built on macho-ism and the devotion for young men and their sacrifices to the country. There are no talks of peace here, no talk about negotiations or even viewing the enemy as human. There is only running away or fighting. Despite all that - the movie captures a sense of reality, filled with all variants of humor and pain and longing to get home that captured me completely. I served 4 years in the IDF and this movie manages to get to the core, to the essence of the unbelievable situation of serving, fighting and dieing without knowing why, without seeing any goal or reason in the madness - only following orders.

This is one of the best Israely movies created - if you have any interest in Israely cinema, regardless of your political or other views, don't miss it.