Two working class men; a right-wing Christian and a
Palestinian refugee, are locked in a clash of wills that turns into an
overblown feud exposing the country’s tinderbox of historical and sectarian
divisions. No it’s not Trump’s America, although this story could be happening
anywhere in the world and does eventually explode into a wider national crisis.
This is Lebanese writer, director Ziad Doueiri’s vital and exhilarating new
film The Insult.
There’s a disclaimer at the beginning of The Insult proclaiming that the views
expressed in the film are not those of the Lebanese Government. Clearly they
must have felt the complex political subject matter depicted in the movie to be
highly controversial. The Government needn’t have been worried. The Insult is a profound and accomplished
work by a talented and remarkable filmmaker that the Lebanese can be
proud of.
Filmed in the busy and dusty streets of Beirut, a
haphazard maze of narrow laneways lined with concrete apartment buildings and
shuttered storefronts that blend together in shades of grey and white strewn
with tangled clusters of electrical wires. The sundrenched city becomes very
much an angry volatile character in itself.
When the Mayor tasks the city works department with
improving infrastructure and removing code violations in an Arab Christian neighborhood
known for its complex mix of religious and cultural backgrounds, it requires a
delicate hand to avoid offending anyone’s sensibilities. The construction
company that has been contracted to do this job employs mostly Palestinian
refugees working illegally in Lebanon.
This is the foundation on which this tough, hard-hitting human
story is told with an extremely tight narrative that moves along at breakneck pace;
throwing the viewer into a seemingly common everyday dispute that unexpectedly
grows into something much more complicated.
A hot-headed Lebanese Christian auto mechanic Tony Hanna (Adel
Karam) and a Palestinian Muslim construction foreman Yasser (Kamel El Basha) get
into a heated argument over a balcony gutter drain that quickly escalates when
neither side is willing to concede to the other. We immediately sense that
there is more to this altercation than meets the eye.
Based on some of Mr. Doueiri’s own personal experiences when, as a young man, he impulsively insulted someone while on his balcony in a neighborhood where people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds were living. The experience changed him and had a profound effect on him. What he learned remains as
relevant as ever.
The Insult, Lebanon’s
foreign language Oscar submission for the 2018 Academy Awards, is an urgent
film that takes on many of today’s pressing issues of illegal migrant workers,
deep seated cultural and religious hatreds, the effect of the media in our
justice system, free speech vs hate speech, and egos getting in the way of decency.
Ultimately we see how people can create toxic situations in their
present lives due to festering unresolved anger carried from their past.
It’s Tony’s angry reactionary impulse, and Yasser’s, the
older of the two, intense emotional restraint that holds us glued to this powerhouse
drama. Kamel El Basha won the best actor prize at the Venice Film Festival for
his performance but they all deserve recognition. The utterly convincing
performances by all the actors, including the two lawyers representing their
clients, are invested with such intense emotion that one feels compelled by
turns to sympathize with both parties. The realism is so palpable that one
could be forgiven for thinking the film is some kind of docudrama. To his
credit, Ziad Doueiri gives us a balanced analysis from all sides.
Ziad Doueiri who was first assistant cameraman on many of
Quentin Tarantino’s films including Reservoir
Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994),
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and Jackie Brown (1997), is working here
with cinematographer Tommaso Fiorilli to give the tight conglomerate of dust
veiled buildings in Beirut a dramatic cinematic energy. Doueiri’s visual style
was also influenced and inspired, as many filmmakers were, by Godfrey Reggio
and Ron Fricke’s landmark films The Qatsi Trilogy (1982 – 2002) and the amazing Baraka
(1992), and Samsara (2011) series.
What really sends this perfect storm of family drama,
political thriller and courtroom drama into the realm of classic cinematic heights
is Doueiri’s confident direction, skillfully blending brilliant performances with
a single-minded focus on a deeply felt storyline about two men both claiming to
be victims and ruining their lives in order to be right, all
stunningly infused with searing visual bravura that breathes authentic life
into every scene.
The Insult must
surely be Ziad Doueiri’s answer to some of the difficult issues that Lebanon
and many other parts of the world are grappling with in today’s tense political
sectarian environment. As one of the film’s lawyers points out, “No one has
a monopoly on suffering.” This is the kind of thought provoking
filmmaking Governments should be celebrating, not deterring.
JP
