Lebanon follows an Israeli tank crew through the first day of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The director, Samuel Maoz, was in the IDF during that war. The film’s central gimmick, and I use that word reluctantly, is that the point of view is entirely that of the four soldiers in the tank. We either see conversation inside the tank, or we see the exterior through the cross-hairs of the turret scope.  Other soldiers, a prisoner, and a Phalangist irregular enter the tank for various purposes, but our four protagonists never leave it. The result is a deeply claustrophobic feel, and a heightened sense of the bewilderment and terror of those inside. Continue reading Lebanon