Lebanon

2009 Director Samuel Maoz

This is a very different type of film by Israeli writer and director Samuel Maoz. A handful of soldiers take a claustrophobic journey into the heart of war. It tackles the collision between youthful idealism and the reality of conflict in a mesmerising and compelling format.

It's June 1982, and Israel is launching an invasion of Lebanon. Four men assigned to take part in the first strike are put on the same tank detail. After being given their orders the men set out toward the Lebanese border, recognizing little of what goes on outside beyond what can be seen through the gun sights. They roll relentlessly onward, occasionally arguing amongst themselves, until they arrive at their destination, a town already bombed into rubble by the Israeli Air Force. Few of their allies remain in the city, putting the soldiers in a perilous situation when a band of Syrian resistance fighters attack the tank.

With the exception of the opening and closing credits the entire film is based inside the claustrophobic, grimy world of the tank. One can almost smell the oil and diesel fumes. The only glimpses of the outside world are shown through the remote gun sights. This is a brilliantly constructed and acted film evoking a great deal of empathy with those placed in this precarious position. It also very subtly introduces the theme that not all allies have the same agenda. Well worth looking out for.