Zeina, a westernized middle class Muslim woman, comes back to Lebanon in an effort to find her six year old son (who was staying with her sister) on the day of the ceasefire with Israel during the 2006 bombings. Her sister and son were in the southern part of Lebanon, the most dangerous area, so she has a hard time convincing anyone to drive her there. Tony, a Christian cab driver, agrees to take her, partly for the money and partly because he is attracted to her. Their two days together and the changes their relationship undergoes is fascinating and very poinant. The setting of this movie, the situation in Lebanon under the Israeli bombing, is the other thread running through the story line.
Some in my family (Shirin, I'm talking about you) don't like to see movies that make them feel sad. I understand this. But the movie is so excellent - I'd hate for you to miss out on some of the best acting I've ever seen. It's also very artistic. There's a spot just over an hour into the film in which Zeina speaks what can only be called poetry, with some beautiful Arabic instrumental music in the background. She not speaking to anyone really, but we can hear her stream of consciousness. It's pure poetry. I'll post it below the video trailer.
My son is lost.
Everybody’s looking for him.
All this terror, these bombs –
The madness of some.
It doesn’t matter.
We must search.
Many have died.
It doesn’t matter.
Everything can wait.
We must search.
My son is lost.
What did he do wrong?
We have to fight back.
It’s not important.
First we must search.
Then we’ll resist.
Have I been a bad mother?
It’s not important.
I don’t care.
America, Israel, the Hezbollah, Syria, or Iran –
I don’t care.
I don’t care about religion.
My son is lost.
The ruins, the bombs.
Your help –
I don’t give a damn.
My son is lost.
I must find him.
2 comments:
Just those words almost make me cry...to think about losing my son in a war zone. I will try to watch it. But, I don't know if I can handle it. Despite being a tough nut to crack, I tend to be a soft banana deep down.
-Shirin
Yeah, maybe you shouldn't watch it; having two young sons might make it too hard. And yet I think everyone in the world should watch it. How comfortable we are in our little safe nests while others suffer and struggle so much. It seems that if we aren't actively trying to do something about it we at least ought to witness the inequity.
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