West Beirut - Divide
Quick Thoughts: West Beirut (بيروت الغربية 1998)
Made by Ziad Doueiri, this the Lebanese film of the series.
West Beirut is a film I dare call pretentious. It tells a coming-of-age tale that is set during the Lebanese Civil War. We follow a teen, Tarek, on a meandering, rather blind and ignorant journey through the streets as his country divides. Tarek has no goal, but all of his intentions seem to be fuelled by an itch in his crotch; and so he rebels in school, play fights with his father, moans to his mother, gets into constant arguments with neighbours, courts and then forgets about a girl, screws around with his friend, spies on large-breasted women with a camera, almost dies trying to get the film developed and risks his life to find his way into a brothel. It feels as though we are paced in Lebanon rather coincidentally by this film - and such is a positive comment on the film's verisimilitude and authentic edge. However, it is not possible to never question why a civil war and so many cultural conflicts are juxtaposed with a teen's brazen and open-ended sexual development. I thought that the boy's sexuality would lead to revelations on the conflict between the Muslims and Christians waging war, but, though this is always hinted at (for instance, the Tarek suggests that the Muslims and Christians should meet at the brothel to solve all their problems) there is never physically dramatised any such thematic conflict. This leaves me without a clue of how to see this as more than a weak coming-of-age film - one rather reminiscence of Machuca (which I can't say I cared for). It follows a rather silly boy, indulges his chaotic teenage-hood, visualises elements of his cultural history, and eventually allows the reality of war to dawn upon him as he watches its effect on his mother and the struggle that his parents must endure. Alas, this all feels like surface-level drama; nothing at all penetrating, affecting or in need of being said. I then think West Beirut succeeds only in appearing to be about something when, in reality, it does very little of meaningful function.
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West Beirut is a film I dare call pretentious. It tells a coming-of-age tale that is set during the Lebanese Civil War. We follow a teen, Tarek, on a meandering, rather blind and ignorant journey through the streets as his country divides. Tarek has no goal, but all of his intentions seem to be fuelled by an itch in his crotch; and so he rebels in school, play fights with his father, moans to his mother, gets into constant arguments with neighbours, courts and then forgets about a girl, screws around with his friend, spies on large-breasted women with a camera, almost dies trying to get the film developed and risks his life to find his way into a brothel. It feels as though we are paced in Lebanon rather coincidentally by this film - and such is a positive comment on the film's verisimilitude and authentic edge. However, it is not possible to never question why a civil war and so many cultural conflicts are juxtaposed with a teen's brazen and open-ended sexual development. I thought that the boy's sexuality would lead to revelations on the conflict between the Muslims and Christians waging war, but, though this is always hinted at (for instance, the Tarek suggests that the Muslims and Christians should meet at the brothel to solve all their problems) there is never physically dramatised any such thematic conflict. This leaves me without a clue of how to see this as more than a weak coming-of-age film - one rather reminiscence of Machuca (which I can't say I cared for). It follows a rather silly boy, indulges his chaotic teenage-hood, visualises elements of his cultural history, and eventually allows the reality of war to dawn upon him as he watches its effect on his mother and the struggle that his parents must endure. Alas, this all feels like surface-level drama; nothing at all penetrating, affecting or in need of being said. I then think West Beirut succeeds only in appearing to be about something when, in reality, it does very little of meaningful function.
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Previous post:
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Kidsploiting Dreams
Next post:
Measuring The Truth Of Drama
More from me:
amazon.com/author/danielslack
