Movie No. 33 (2018): THE INSULT

The Insult (aka L'Insulte)

Director: Ziad Doueiri

Cast: Kamel El Basha, Adel Karam, Camille Salameh

In Lebanese, with English subtitles

It all started with a construction foreman (a Palestinian refugee) and a tenant (a Lebanese Christian in the apartment building undergoing repair) trading insults over a protruding pipe. 

The movie gives enough details to make the narrative flow from this small incident into its becoming a high-profile case that ends up in court and national news. The script is clever enough to expose slowly, as the narrative flows, what lies behind the 'insults' traded between the two lead characters. In the end, it leaves the characters as stubborn as the issues behind cause of such conflict.

The court room drama format never fails to catch the viewer's attention when it's directed well. The Insult is engaging because we are eager to listen to every character in this court room. The performances are brilliant. This movie gives insights about the situation in Lebanon involving refugees.

This movie was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 90th Academy Awards.

Rating: 4.0/4.0

Date seen: May 12, 2018