Tuesday, June 8, 2010

What an action movie should be

This is the trailer for "Lebanon", written and directed by Samuel Maoz.



I was lucky enough to see this last year at TIFF, and was blown away (seriously, honestly, no pun intended there). I was actually volunteering at the time and probably should have been paying more attention to my ticket-ripping duties, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen...it was so powerful, moving, and incredibly unique.

The story is told from the perspective of four young soldiers in a tank in the Lebanon war; and you, the viewer, are stuck in the tank with them for the duration of the film. The majority of these guys are totally new and incredibly nervous, and their fears, hesitation, guilt, and of course, claustrophobia are brilliantly conveyed. However, there's also levity to be found in the sort of banter that is unavoidable when relative strangers are forced to get to know one another right quick. The whole thing was so affecting and just... so *real*, I wasn't at all surprised when I met the director after the show and learned that it was based on his own war experiences.

So in case it wasn't already obvious... this is a really big and genuine recommendation. Don't spend your money on whatever fucking bullshit $120-bajillion-CGI-budget blockbuster piece of crap is being shoved down your throat everytime you turn on the TV! See Lebanon instead, get the same adrenaline rush, and actually walk away thinking you've done something worthwhile with 2 hours of your life.

No comments:

Post a Comment