Lebanon

Filmmaker Samuel Maoz's Lebanon, based on his experience as part of the Israeli force that invaded Lebanon in 1982, is set inside a tank accompanying a battalion of paratroopers as they cross the border during the initial stages of the campaign. The occupants are uneasy commander Assi (Itay Tiran), intense driver Yigal (Michael Moshonov), verbose ammunition loader Hertzel (Oshri Cohen), and nervous newcomer gunner Shmulik (Yoav Donat). The men are occasionally joined by the paratroop commander, who calmly gives the crew orders and berates them when they endanger his troops. Lebanon mixes character-based interaction among this small group with episodes involving others, including a Syrian soldier captured and imprisoned within the tank, and two Christian militiamen assigned to help after the vehicle is damaged. Maoz cannily builds the tension, keeping his camera focused on the claustrophobic interior while also providing a somewhat broader context via periscope-like exterior shots seen through a sickly green lens. Heroism is not the hallmark here, but rather crushing confusion, a sense of purposelessness, and the heartbreaking loss of life on both sides. Lebanon presents war as hell on a small but incisive scale. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Notes on a War Film” behind-the-scenes featurette (25 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a powerful film.] (F. Swietek)