A few weeks ago, I went to see an israeli independent film called Lebanon, directed by Samuel Maoz. This film is based on personal experiences of being in a war tank in Lebanon. Yes, it scared me all the way through and at some point I coudn’t watch. This film is so real it’s almost a documentary. It shows strength and type it takes to go to war, be in war and sitting in a battle tank for weeks on end with no communication with the outside world, except for the radio which goes back to the control center. This film is not for the faint hearted or for the guys and girls out there who like romcoms. This film is about the breakdown of communication and a team who start out with no experience of war in the fields of Lebanon, except that they end up being lead down the wrong path and communication gets disjointed and the fear of death starts to creep into the guys in the tank..
Lebanon will give you a brilliant insight to what it’s like being a real Israeli soldier at war. The storytelling is brilliant and it’s clearly on a small budget, but for what they have done, I salute them in bringing the harsh realities of the real people in war to the screen!
No wonder it won the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival.
Watching the evening news in the same way again!
Production companies: Metro Communications, Ariel Films, Arsam International
Sales: Celluloid Dreams
Cast: Yoav Donat, Italy Tiran, Oshri Cohen, Michael moshonov, Zohar Strauss, Dudu Tassa, Ashraf Barhom, Reymonde Amsellem
Director: Samuel Maoz
Screenwriter: Samuel Maoz
Producer: Uri Sabag, Einat Bikel, Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, David Silber, Benjamina Mirnik, Ilann Girard
Director of photography: Giora Bejach
Production designer: Ariel Roshko
Music: Nicolas Becker
Costumes: Hila Bargirel
Editor: Arik Lahav-Leibovich
Realitypod.tv 