West Beyrouth (1998)
Stars: Rami Doueiri, Naamar Sahli, Mohamad Chamas
Runtime: 105 minutes
Synopsis: In April, 1975, civil war breaks out; Beirut is partitioned along a Moslem-Christian line. Tarek is in high school, making Super 8 movies with his friend, Omar. At first the war is a lark: school has closed, the violence is fascinating, getting from West to East is a game. His mother wants to leave; his father refuses. Tarek spends time with May, a Christian, orphaned and living in his building. By accident, Tarek goes to an infamous brothel in the war-torn Olive Quarter, meeting its legendary madam, Oum Walid. He then takes Omar and May there using her underwear as a white flag for safe passage. Family tensions rise. As he comes of age, the war moves inexorably from adventure to tragedy.
Performances: 2/5
Screenplay: 2/5
Costumes/Makeup: 4/5
Editing: 3/5
Cinematography: 4/5
Score/Soundtrack: 3/5
Verdict: I really liked Ziad Doueiri's Oscar-nominated "The Insult" and as a result decided to give "West Beyrouth" (written as such to represent the country's trilingual culture) a try given the fact that it's available on Netflix. And while there's definitely a lot to admire about it, I couldn't help but feel a little underwhelmed by the director's directorial debut.
Set in a Beirut torn by the civil war that broke back in the mid-1970s, the film's biggest accomplishment was its ability to recreate that environment in a realistic manner. From clothes to damaged properties, Doueiri and his team do a fantastic job at capturing that dark period in Lebanon's history. The film's cinematography also added a lot of authenticity as it heavily contributed in giving the movie a 1970s feel. However, "West Beyrouth" was unfortunately dragged down by its script, which was also written by Doueiri. The Arabic dialogue didn't feel genuine and the characters sometimes came off as unlikable, which directly affected the cast's performances. But my biggest issue with it was the fact that it attempted blend multiple storylines, each belonging to a different genre and tone, which only negatively impacted the film's pacing and made it feel a little chaotic. It's at times a coming of age story, at times a family drama, at times a comedy and at time a romance, all set in a war background. And it's safe to say that none of these narratives reached their full potential because it's nearly impossible to do so in such a short runtime.
I'd still recommend checking out "West Beyrouth" because it's still an important film that gets a lot of things right. It sometimes feels like its the work of a first time director (who I'm sure didn't have the resources available to other first time directors), but it also at times surprises the audience with its high level of technical achievements it offers.
Set in a Beirut torn by the civil war that broke back in the mid-1970s, the film's biggest accomplishment was its ability to recreate that environment in a realistic manner. From clothes to damaged properties, Doueiri and his team do a fantastic job at capturing that dark period in Lebanon's history. The film's cinematography also added a lot of authenticity as it heavily contributed in giving the movie a 1970s feel. However, "West Beyrouth" was unfortunately dragged down by its script, which was also written by Doueiri. The Arabic dialogue didn't feel genuine and the characters sometimes came off as unlikable, which directly affected the cast's performances. But my biggest issue with it was the fact that it attempted blend multiple storylines, each belonging to a different genre and tone, which only negatively impacted the film's pacing and made it feel a little chaotic. It's at times a coming of age story, at times a family drama, at times a comedy and at time a romance, all set in a war background. And it's safe to say that none of these narratives reached their full potential because it's nearly impossible to do so in such a short runtime.
I'd still recommend checking out "West Beyrouth" because it's still an important film that gets a lot of things right. It sometimes feels like its the work of a first time director (who I'm sure didn't have the resources available to other first time directors), but it also at times surprises the audience with its high level of technical achievements it offers.
FINAL GRADE: 5/10
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