nov 10-14 2010 - Rehoboth Beach Film Society

feaTuRe fIlms
44
Lebanon is based on director Samuel Maoz’s own
experiences as a soldier in the 1982 Israel- Lebanon
conflict. The film focuses exclusively on the experiences of
the four young Israelis that are responsible for operating
a tank that rolls into Lebanese territory at the start of the
war. For almost the entire duration, the characters and
the audience are trapped inside the vehicle; we can see
only what they can externally through the narrow tunnel
vision of a gun turret periscope. With no wider political
context and little character background, this viewpoint
successfully creates a claustrophobic, tense atmosphere
and provides originality and intrigue to what might have
been overlooked as ‘another war film’. The soldiers,
confined to the tank, are inexperienced, tired, hungry,
thirsty, scared, homesick, dirty, feverish and unable to
A simple but transcendent story about faith and human
frailty achieves a state of grace in Letters to Father Jakob,
centering on a tough ex-con temporarily assigned as
secretary for a blind pastor in rural Finland. Surprised
at being pardoned 12 years into a life sentence, hardbitten
killer Leila takes the prison warden’s suggestion
and winds up at the ramshackle parsonage of Father
Jakob, a priest without a parish. The old man needs a
secretary to pursue his main joy in life: answering the
letters of those who write asking for his help. Although
Leila, an outspoken intellectual and feminist, regards
the pastor’s correspondence as pointless, it ultimately
leads to her own redemption and self-forgiveness. In
leBanon
Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival, Sponsored by:
Thessaloniki Film Festival human Values Award
Thurs Nov 11 2:00 PM-3:55 PM
FrI Nov 12 10:20 AM-12:15 PM
sAT Nov 13 8:00 PM-9:55 PM Eric Kafka
suN Nov 14 11:55 AM-1:50 PM
work competently as a team. In the opening scene, their collective
callowness leads to the deaths of a fellow soldier and an innocent
civilian. From here, difficulty after difficulty presents itself in the form
of hostile forces, indignant superior officers, technological issues and
internal disputes. The way the characters respond, the powerful use of
imagery - and the contrast between the constant mechanical noise and
darkness inside the tank and the bright environment and varied action
outside - combine to shape a potent viewing experience.
[dir. Samuel maoz, 2009, israel, 35mm, 112 mins in Hebrew, arabic,
French, and English with English subtites]
Website: www.sonyclassics.com/lebanon
[this film is part of lights, camera...action!: Sidebar]
letters to Father JaKoB
(Postia PaPPi JaaKoBille)
Finland’s entry into the Oscars for Best Foreign Sponsored by:
Language Film 2010, Jussi Award, Finland’s equivalent
to the Oscars
Thurs Nov 11 8:55 PM-10:15 PM At Home in Lewes
suN Nov 14 12:45 PM- 2:05 PM
exquisitely calibrated performances, heavyset masculine-looking
Kaarina Hazard Leila’s stomping and banging reveals a lifetime of
repressed anger, while Heikki Nousiainen movingly conveys Jacob’s
anguish and vulnerability. Working in wide screen, prize-winning
cinematographer Tuomo Hutri supplies director Härö’s trademark lush
visuals. Klaus Härö’s magisterial control over the proceedings renders
predictable material into something fresh and heart-rending.
[dir. Klaus Haro, 2009, Finland, video, 75 mins. in Finnish with English
subtitles]
Website: www.olivefilms.com