Sydney Film Festival Day 2 Review - Lebanon

Lebanon was the deserved winner of the 2009 Golden Lion at Venice.

After a short pre-credits opener. The opening credits roll and shortly after you are inside a tank. A new crew member joins and you see the crew suspicious and aprehensive.

The film follows the crew on a mission where they join an infantry Group. The commander provides them with limited instructions and not much else.




The power of the film is that you are always inside the tank, with the limited vision, overwhelming sound and constant movement whilst a war goes on outside. Almost at every point the crew has little knowledge of the activity outside the tank.

It is the escalating uncertainty and the terror of the crew, palpable throughout, that has you on the edge of your seat.



Whilst some of the events that unfold are predicatable the film is a fantastic portrayal of the confusion, fear and determination in war.