West Beirut 

Written and directed by Ziad Doueiri

Starring Rami Doueiri

Released (US) Sept. 3, 1999

Available on Netflix

West Beirut was fed to me by Netflix’s algorithm. It was great from start to finish. Great in a way that only foreign films can be great.

It’s a movie about friendship, family, religion, politics, and war. It takes place in the mid 70s when a civil war broke out in Lebanon and the city was divided between Muslim-Christian West Beirut and quasi-Christian East Beirut.

There are so many things that are smart and effective in this movie. I liked, in particular, the way it moves in two parallel lines. One is a coming-of-age story of three high school mates, a Christian girl and two Muslim boys, that explores the complexities of sex and romance. The other is a look at how in times of conflict religion can play a major part, either in separating people or holding them together.

You can watch the trailer here.