Watch Under the Bombs

Under the Bombs is a heart-wrenching drama film from 2007 depicting the aftermath of the 2006 Lebanon War. The movie was directed and co-written by Philippe Aractingi and produced by the French filmmaker Guillaume de Seille. It stars Nada Abou Farhat as Zeina, a Lebanese woman who returns to southern Lebanon to find her son after the bombings, and Georges Khabbaz as Toni, a cab driver who agrees to take her on the perilous journey.

At the beginning of the movie, we see that Zeina resides in Dubai and receives a disturbing phone call from her sister in Lebanon informing her that her son has gone missing. With war being waged near her child's location, Zeina decides to temporarily leave Dubai and travels to southern Lebanon to search for him. While on her quest, she desperately looks for any news of her son but only to find a sea of destruction.

Despite the ongoing bombing across the Lebanese border, Zeina is determined to reach her son. She eventually contracts Toni, a taxi driver, to help her in her search. Toni is a Christian cab driver from Beirut who has little experience of the violence and terror of the war. This journey will serve as a learning experience as he sees the extent of the war and for the first time understands what it means to live in it.

As they journey through the war zone, Zeina and Toni encounter the real horrors of war. They witness death, destruction, hopelessness, and families torn apart. Zeina, in particular, is shattered by the realization that the war might have taken her son away from her forever. Throughout their journey, their experience brings them together as they form an unlikely alliance amidst the chaos of war, and each witnesses the other’s resilience and bravery.

Throughout the movie, the audience can feel the impending danger and the ever-real threat of violence in the region. The film's disquieting images of destroyed towns, demolished buildings, and rubble-filled roads make it hard to forget that the characters are in a real-life conflict.

The sound design and cinematography found in Under the Bombs, further intensifies the atmosphere of panic and uncertainty. As they travel through picturesque but war-torn countryside, Zeina and Toni, the two main characters, experience first hand grief, loss, and displacement, epitomizing the human cost of a war-torn society. The constant reminder of the bombardment intensifies the raw sense of urgency, making the viewers feel the characters' journey as if they were experiencing it themselves.

The story is not just one of loss or destruction but also a marking of how Lebanese people come together in the direst moments of their history. Despite religion conflicts, cultural differences, the tension and division found in the region, the movie showcases how people can come together in solidarity in times of emergency.

In conclusion, Under the Bombs provides a glimpse of the harsh realities of the war and the human cost of conflict through the eyes of two characters brought together by fate during a violent and destructive period. The story remains relevant even today, where societies are grappling with rising tensions and inequality fuelled by social conflicts. The film offers a poignant and captivating reminder that, in the middle of a war, people can hold onto hope and find strength in themselves and others, and that there is still a chance for peace and recovery even in the most desperate of times.