Lebanon

2009 Drama

A handful of soldiers take a claustrophobic journey into the heart of war in this drama from Israeli writer and director Samuel Maoz. It's June 1982, and Israel is launching an invasion of Lebanon. Four men assigned to take part in the first strike are put on the same tank detail -- Assi (Itay Tiran) is the commanding officer, Shmulik (Yoav Donat) is a gunner new to the outfit, Hertzel (Oshri Cohen) keeps the weapons loaded, and Yigal (Michael Moshonov) drives the machine. After being given their orders by Jamil (Zohar Strauss), the men set out toward the Lebanese border, recognizing little of what goes on outside beyond what can be seen through Yigal's tiny window; they occasionally stop to help fellow Israelis hurt in battle, but for the most part, they roll relentlessly onward, occasionally arguing amongst themselves, until they arrive at their destination, a town already bombed into rubble by the Israeli Air Force. Few of their allies remain in the city, putting the soldiers in a perilous situation when a band of Syrian resistance fighters lays siege to the tank. Levanone (aka Lebanon) was an official selection at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival. more..

Director: Samuel Maoz

Starring: Yoav Donat, Itay Tiran, Oshri Cohen, Ashraf Barhom, Reymonde Amsellem

Reviews

  • It took writer-director Samuel ''Shmulik'' Maoz nearly 30 years to make this disturbing, visceral, personal film.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • Never before, not even in the claustrophobic submarine epic "Das Boot," has a physical point of view so completely dictated a philosophical point of view.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    26 April 2013

  • It's an uncompromising drama, not easy to watch. And it is one of the year's highlights.

    Michael Phillips - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

  • Lebanon gives us viscerally violent, intensely distressing glimpses into war's annihilation of people, places, and communities.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    26 April 2013

  • Harrowing and grueling, Lebanon ends on a gentle, hopeful note.

    Rene Rodriguez - Miami Herald

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Screenplay

    Asia Pacific Screen Awards (2010)

  • Best Art Direction

    Awards of the Israeli Film Academy (2009)

  • Best Cinematography

    Brothers Manaki International Film Festival (2010)

  • Best Cinematography

    Camerimage (2009)

  • Best Foreign-Language Film

    Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards (2010)