The film depicts the fear and terrors that children in Beirut faced during the 1975 uprising that divided Christians and Muslims. The film is based on the boyhood memories of the director and writer. While the film presents an adequate progression and a series of characters and events that portray the fearful state of the children at that time. However, the narrative, to some extent, departs from the confines and structure of the classic narrative. Classic narrative requires a depiction of the emotional life of the main character which is lacking in the film. The director's focus is on the chronology of war and not on the emotional life of the character which results in an ill- defined character (Garcia).
The film's cinematography can only be described as stunning as it provides an intimate depiction of the violence that allows the viewer to experience the anxieties and terrors of that period (Garcia). The use of French New Wave direction in the quieter scenes and the tracking shots in the terrifying scenes bring the viewer close to the violence and fear.
The use of sound in the film is also stunning and manages to draw the viewer in as well as provide an accompaniment to the masterful cinematography. The use of empathetic sounds gives the viewer a more intimate experience that adequately matches the mood in the various scenes in the film. The director adequately employs the use of rendering and synchresis to achieve the violent and fearful effect the film portrays.
The director adequately uses the actors, costumes, props, decor and lighting to create a mise-en-scene that evokes terror and fear and that gives the viewer an intimate experience of the emotions that were prevalent in the children at that time. Every element, design, prop, costume and so on bears some form of significance and provokes thoughts and meanings which emphasize the dominant themes and provide a deeper experience of the film.
As with all other elements of the film, the editing was done in a way that would emphasize the dominant themes in the film. The director uses different shots and angles to portray the violence and the effect it had on the characters. The use of tracking shots when the two boys are separated serves to portray a terrifying effect and brings out the fearful emotions at that point in time (Garcia).
Work Cited
Garcia, Maria. West Beirut. Film Journal International. 2004. Web. August, 24, 2016. http://www.filmjournal.com/west-beirut
