The Insult

After the award-winning „West Beirut“ and the universally lauded „The Attack„–the latter focusing on a prominent Arab surgeon living in Israel who discovers his wife is the perpetrator of a suicide bombing–Lebanese-born, Hollywood-trained (he was a camera assistant on Tarantino’s first two films) co-writer-director Ziad Doueiri cements his reputation as cinema’s leading voice from Lebanon. His taut political drama about intolerance carries profound reverberations of the Lebanese Civil War.

While renovating the facade of a building in Beirut, Toni, a Lebanese Christian, and Yasser, a Palestinian refugee, clash over a silly plumbing issue. A shouting argument ensues and Yasser ends up insulting Toni. Hurt in his dignity, Toni decides to file a complaint. They are rapidly stuck in an infernal spiral. A long and highly publicised trial opens where Palestinians and Lebanese Christians settle their score.

Lebanon has submitted the film as a candidate for foreign language film Oscar.