Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Winifred The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

SnoopyStyle It's August, 2006 Lebanon. After 33 days of Israeli airstrikes, a ceasefire is declared with the help of the UN. Zeina Nasrueddi returns from Dubai to find her son Karim. Nobody is willing to drive south. She gets a ride from sleazy, ugly, underhanded Christian taxi driver Tony. They find a devastated landscape and many civilian deaths.This opens with a montage of bombings and civilians escaping the devastation. The use of real footage is interesting but it also generates a couple of problems. It suggests the whole thing is one single bombing incident but that's probably not true. Also the camera lingers on a last bombing scene but that scene is not necessarily what the filmmaker thinks it is. There are multiple explosions in the same spot. The last explosions are massive. They are probably secondary explosions meaning the Isrealis actually hit a hidden ammo dump.Zeina searching for her son is a functional excuse to see the devastation. However, there are scenes where it makes little sense. There is no real reason for her to go see the UN forces landing. I can certainly understand that they're doing guerrilla filming and they're using whatever is available. It's also an excuse to push the melodrama. The relationship between Zeina and Tony is awkward most of the time. The problem is that Tony is such an unlikable character from the very beginning. The story tries to give a slice of life but it feels like a manufactured addition to something amazingly real. I would rather watch a documentary or something better constructed. This is more like a tour of destruction.

secondtake Under the Bombs (2007)I can picture this being required viewing for anyone wanting a view of the kind of back and forth fighting between Israel and its many unfriendly neighbors. The devastation from superior Israeli firepower is horrifying. And you can see better the anger that ordinary Lebanese citizens--Muslim and Christian both--have toward the apparently insensitive Israelis.The way this is unfolded is a convergence of two kinds of victims of the violence--a mother looking for her child and a taxi driver who she hires to take her around. In the searching we see all of Southern Lebanon's worst destruction--the real thing, shot on site--and we feel the frustration and hatred in all the people at the situation. We also see that it comes down to coping, as well, with a sense of resignation, that it's all out of their reach, even if the bombs reach them all too easily.So, you'll cry and be in ruins yourself if you let yourself be absorbed. There is eventually going to be a sense that the movie plays the same chords for too long. The search keeps taking new turns, but the rubble, the anger, and sorry, the frustration, and even the relationship between the leads stays relatively the same. It's only in this last respect--a highly unlikely meeting of minds and hearts between to very different classes of people--that there is some evolution.And the search, of course, has a kind of resolution that is sudden and a bit surprising. There are moments of movie drama along the way (the car stalls at the worst possible time, of course, and that kind of thing), but mostly it's about being transported to this very real war torn place using modern cinematography. The acting is intensely strong, and the basic story line heart wrenching.Yes, see it, for those aspects that are overwhelming and necessary to understand as much as possible.

krazeeklown I did not think that the sex scene was awkward in the movie; I found it quite appropriate. It is clear that Tony is attracted to Zeina, so when a decent substitute comes along for him to express his sexual desire, it seems genuine. The innkeeper may have exaggerated on being scared of the wind, but in wartime there is a sense of alienation and a desire to unify, even if in the most banal ways. Tony is portrayed as a sort-of loner, working man. He initially helps Zeina most likely because of her beauty; I believe he was staring at her breasts when he first offered to help her. As the two bonded on their journey, Tony opened up about his past and became more sympathetic. This is the crux of the character development. The simplicity of the relationship and the romantic nuances exemplify the human spirit. In essence, Tony discovered that he didn't just want to "bang" Zeina, but he generally appreciated her for being herself. Likewise, Zeina became less guarded over time and looked to Tony for comfort, especially in the wake of her divorce and her newfound independence. Zeina had a desire to return to her roots and Tony, also being from the same region, comes to be a representation of her own identity.

jbrooksci This movie was chosen by filmmovement.com. Often I find the movies they chose to lack heart and leave the viewer bereft in some way. This is the exception. True, the subject matter is devastating. However, the way it is handled is so delicate that it somehow inherently contains a message of hope. I have seen this movie several times, and find that the characters have stuck with me. I've not gotten enough of them.. I want their story to continue. I will, however, caution the viewer: if you don't want your political consciousness raised, you must stay away from this movie. It in no way coerces the viewer; it simply offers such a different perspective, you can't help but be redirected in subtle ways. Well done to the entire cast and crew of this movie.