The glorious and vivid yellow and green of a field of sunflowers set against a blue sky is a beautiful image and one that is in stark comparison to the grime, dirt and destruction that follow the opening shot.
Lebanon follows four Israeli soldiers who operate a tank in a war ravaged and hostile area during the 1982 Lebanon war. The film is unflinching in it's portrayal of the horrors of war and because we are very much inside this tank for the duration of the film we too, like these men are caught up in the harrowing nature of what they have to do. Almost from the outset there is fear, panic and desperation among the men, who are accompanied outside by foot soldiers and are on a mission which is far from clear. The men fight the outside world as well as each other and gradually the their world becomes more and more desperate as the situation outside becomes more dire, surrounded by insurgents. Inside the men start to loose it, with the tank commander bordering on a breakdown. The stress of the film is palpable throughout.
The horrors of war and what is occurring outside from the tank is brought to the men and the audience through the tanks viewfinder which the men use to survey the outside world, which gives us a graphic and horrid point of view, from dead bodies and bombed buildings to insurgents taking hostages and a woman desperate to know where her child is. Inside their metal home, the men should feel safe, but not only are they at risk, but there is also no escape; from what is happening outside, the horrors surround them, but there is also no escape from each other.
The film has been both praised, but there is also negative comments because many feel it's not a realistic portrayal of inside a tank - it's too big, the soldiers don't wear helmets, they aren't focused, there are rules for letting people through the hatch etc. Perhaps that is true, but to make a film of this style, one that rarely leaves the confine of small space, it is maybe impossible not to take a little artistic license. These points that others have do not bother me and nor do they take away from the story, which is a powerful, emotional war film.
More of my reviews at iheartfilms.weebly.com
Lebanon follows four Israeli soldiers who operate a tank in a war ravaged and hostile area during the 1982 Lebanon war. The film is unflinching in it's portrayal of the horrors of war and because we are very much inside this tank for the duration of the film we too, like these men are caught up in the harrowing nature of what they have to do. Almost from the outset there is fear, panic and desperation among the men, who are accompanied outside by foot soldiers and are on a mission which is far from clear. The men fight the outside world as well as each other and gradually the their world becomes more and more desperate as the situation outside becomes more dire, surrounded by insurgents. Inside the men start to loose it, with the tank commander bordering on a breakdown. The stress of the film is palpable throughout.
The horrors of war and what is occurring outside from the tank is brought to the men and the audience through the tanks viewfinder which the men use to survey the outside world, which gives us a graphic and horrid point of view, from dead bodies and bombed buildings to insurgents taking hostages and a woman desperate to know where her child is. Inside their metal home, the men should feel safe, but not only are they at risk, but there is also no escape; from what is happening outside, the horrors surround them, but there is also no escape from each other.
The film has been both praised, but there is also negative comments because many feel it's not a realistic portrayal of inside a tank - it's too big, the soldiers don't wear helmets, they aren't focused, there are rules for letting people through the hatch etc. Perhaps that is true, but to make a film of this style, one that rarely leaves the confine of small space, it is maybe impossible not to take a little artistic license. These points that others have do not bother me and nor do they take away from the story, which is a powerful, emotional war film.
More of my reviews at iheartfilms.weebly.com