In the summer of 2006, southern Lebanon was under a barrage of Israeli firepower.
The war was nominally between Israel and Hezbollah operating out of Lebanon.
What this film does – and does well – is to humanize this war story.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/YbabkJPcTts" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]It shows a woman, Zeina, who has come from Dubai to find her sister and her son in southern Lebanon. She pays and later befriends a taxi driver named Tony who agrees to take her there despite the danger.
Zeina’s desperate search leaves the audience on the edge of their seats, waiting and hoping she finds word about her loved ones.
While they are an unlikely pair, Zeina and Tony develop a relationship forged in wartime. They become friends and confidantes.
This movie cleverly uses footage of actual shelling as well as locations that have been bombed. The background story of the war makes the film almost a true documentary.
Also, there are only two actors in the film – the rest of the people shown play themselves.
It may be a cliché to say the people in this film are a testament to the resilience of human beings, but it’s true.
While many are traumatized by what happened to their bombed out homes, they plan to rebuild.
The short war left about 1,200 people dead and as many as 1 million refugees.
Lebanese director Philippe Aractingi, who made this film, says at the end that it was made for the innocents who were killed in the war.
“Under the Bombs” is available to rent.
Murphy can be reached at: [email protected]
