The kind of movie I love in its understated realism, using relatively normal events to display a seminal moment in a character's life, and hopefully by extension produce an emotional response for the viewer.
It's pretty well written and pretty well acted, although the conclusion perhaps lacks a conclusion or release that would've been most satisfying, but leaves space for acceptance of truth, however dissatisfying that may be.
Watched @APFilmClub under the assumption that it was probably a little too soon for a rewatch. Still very enjoyable given the performances and the beautiful shots and editing, but this movie mostly lives on its twists and turns, and there's not a huge amount of depth to that or many instances of noticing new things once you know how it ends. But still a very good movie that manages to be both mass-appealing and intelligently thought-provoking.
I feel really bad to diss West Beirut, because it's clearly a movie that was made with a lot of heart, and that strikes a chord with plenty of people.
It was surprisingly watchable even though there were no likeable characters and no particularly enthralling storylines. I know the essence of this movie was to display the way in which the Lebanese civil war changed from a great chance to miss school into a dreadful, daily-life-affecting event for these teenagers,…
Impeccably made. The wide landscapes, the sunlit roads, the perfectly formed concrete, the carpentry close-ups and the assembled faces all drew me in and held me there, helped by the fact that this was my first ever 70mm experience. I was never bored, the editing kept things ticking in that most victorious of subtle ways and the performances were always interesting enough to be watchable. The score was never overbearing and punctuated some moments perfectly and the editing.
But even…
