Under The Bombs (Sous le Bombes)

Philippe Aractingi’s Under The Bombs was made in Lebanon in the immediate aftermath of the war last year. Aractingi was living in Beirut during the Israeli attacks on the city and filmed some footage at the height of the conflict. This may have been a project conceived in chaotic circumstances and shot on the hoof, but it is deftly scripted, boasts two fine central performances and is far more than a piece of reportage dressed up in dramatic clothing.

The central character is Zeina (Nada Abou Farhat), a young mother who has been living in Dubai. She returns to Beirut in search of her young son, who has been living with her sister. She hopes and prays that she will find him safe in the south of the country. Toni is the taxi driver who reluctantly agrees to take her on a quest to find her son. Zeina is Shiite. Toni is Christian. Driver and passenger have little in common and, at first; however, as their journey continues, a strong rapport builds up between them.

Under The Bombs offers a closely focused account of a single bereaved woman. Her experiences show in microcosm what an entire society is undergoing as a result of a war which few would disagree now should never have been allowed to happen.

Geoffrey McNab, Screen Daily

*Director Philippe Aractingi and producer Paul Raphael will attend the screening