Lebanon

Samuel Maoz, soldier-turned-filmmaker and director of this Golden Lion winner at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, goes back to his harrowing experience of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon to construct his testament to the nightmare of war. Much of it set inside an Israeli tank, and exploring the same battlefield as last year’s brilliant Waltz with Bashir, this tense and claustrophobic film is an equally compelling tour de force: brilliant camerawork and extraordinary sound design reproduce the anguish of the four soldiers trapped in their hellish confinement, as their tank is dispatched to search a hostile town – a simple mission that turns into a devastating ordeal. If you liked Das Boot, The Hurt Locker, Waltz with Bashir, you’ll love this.