F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b

We have been thinking of starting a Movie Recco section for a long time. Finally, here it is. Starting it with Samuel Maoz’s Lebanon.

Because if you are wondering what new can be there in another war film, then Lebanon is a must watch. Because if you felt that you are in the middle of a war zone while watching The Hurt Locker, then Lebanon will make you go breathless in those 90 minutes. Because as the movie got over, I  felt am choking to death and desperately need some fresh air.

Accoring to IMDB, here is the synopsis of the film…

June, 1982 – The First Lebanon War. A lone tank and a paratroopers platoon are dispatched to search a hostile town – a simple mission that turns into a nightmare. The four members of a tank crew find themselves in a violent situation that they cannot contain. Motivated by fear and the basic instinct of survival, they desperately try not to lose themselves in the chaos of war.

While watching the film, was also wondering why nobody came up with this idea before. The entire film inside a tank. The answer is simple. Because those who make films, don’t go inside a tank. And those who are inside the tank, rarely make films. This is Samuel Maoz’s own story. And so, as the saying goes, if we don’t tell our stories, who will.

Because a filmmaker’s story always interests me more than the film, I never miss out the extra features. The dvd doesn’t have any making of videos but there is some text material in it, in very small font. Had to go close to the tv set to read it. To quote Samuel – I wrote what i felt…a story that was not to be found in the body of the plot but derived from deep within it.

At 20, he was in a war. Killed someone for the first time. At 45, he wrote and directed a film based on his experiences, without bothering about the story, the characters or the plot points.

And watch Lebanon, because I don’t remember when was the last time I saw a film in which a man talks about having a hard-on  and his father’s death in the same breath. Its devastatingly brutal. And brutally honest. Watch it because it will grab your throat. And thats a rare experience these days.

The film won the Golden Lion in 2009 Venice Film Festival. Click on the play button to watch its trailer.

(PS – Movie Recco will not discuss and dissect the film in details, but will recco those films which we think are must watch. Also, we are not going to recco all those films which have been discussed and dissected million times before (like Godfather & million others). If you haven’t seen all those, you are on the wrong page. Its for new films and for underrated or undiscovered gems)