The Insult - Review

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Read Mind on Movies review of The Insult. In today's Beirut, an insult blown out of proportions finds Toni, a Lebanese Christian, and Yasser, a Palestinian refugee, in court. From secret wounds to traumatic revelations, the media circus surrounding the case puts Lebanon through a social explosion, forcing Toni and Yasser to reconsider their lives and prejudices.

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R: February 2nd, 2018 | R: 112 minutes | R: R

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The Insult takes place in the diverse country of Lebanon, and follows a court case between a Palestinian refugee and a Christian Lebanese citizen. The conflict rises after a construction worker was hired to renovate buildings in the area, and decides to work on a citizen’s balcony without permission. The refugee insults the citizen, who then insists on an apology, which leads to a physical altercation.

The themes of this film are powerful. The lengths a man will go after such a small incident to receive justice over a man he hates because of his identity and religion. This blows up in his face after the nation learns about the case and a slur that is spoken about the Palestinians, causing a divide throughout the entire country.

This film has such potential, but in my opinion, isn’t the most well-acted for the situation. Don’t get me wrong, there are moments of powerful performances, but there are also many scenes of no dialogue that should be making the audience feel specific emotions, but the actors face is completely blank.

Where this film strives is it’s directing. Every shot is beautiful, and I mean every shot. You can see the effort taken by Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri to make every frame compelling and it’s not something looked over.

I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would, but the ending still somewhat loses me. After an incredibly emotional and eye-opening reveal, one of the men decide now is the time to confront the other and call him and his people crybabies, only to immediately apologize with no conviction whatsoever.

This all before the verdict of the case where everyone seems to be happy in the court room, although one wins and one loses. I sat there trying to figure out where the passion of the case went, but maybe they were just relieved it was finally over.

Rating: 2.8 out of 5

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Logan (Contributor) is a Texas native and a massive fan of all genres of film. You can find him talking about movies on YouTube as half of the CraZCouple or in line for the latest Star Wars/Comic Book film. Click Here to check out Logan's Articles.