Review: The Lebanese Drama ‘1982’ — Based on Real Events — is a Sublime and Beautiful Picture that Captures Love, War, and Innocence

Dubbed simply “1982,” Oualid Mouaness’ drama, which recently premiered theatrically in both New York and Los Angeles, is a moving film. It takes a real event, and a tragedy, and forms it into a narrative you can grasp. It’s about war, it’s about all kinds of love, and it’s about—under its backdrop of looming war—an 11-year-old boy who struggles to tell a classmate he has a crush on how he feels. This film takes place in Lebanon during 1982 and the period of the Israeli invasion, and is one of the most authentic and captivating films I’ve seen in some time. 

Mouaness has here (both writing and directing) created a day-in-the-life picture that’s filmed like the eye of a hurricane. On its insides lay 11-year-old Wissam (Mohammad Dalli), his best friend Majid (Ghassan Maalouf), and Joanna (Gia Madi), whom Wissam loves desperately but cannot tell. Alongside them are teachers, such as Yasmine (Nadine Labaki), who struggles with a brother (Said Serhan) who longs to enter the war as militia, and a fellow teacher who opposes her brothers’s views. A school secretary tries to keep things together, as all around them the world implodes. They all start the day busying themselves with their duties, hopes, and dreams, but will end it with a collective tragedy that will tie them together. 

Protecting What’s Important as Things Fall Apart

Mouaness’ film reminds me of some Los Angeles-based American films, though it is Lebanese, in its use of color and emotion. It basks the school and its children in a perpetual hazy sun. Underneath it, they go about their business; and never before in a film have I seen children’s relationships developed so clearly, and such seriousness given to their feelings and emotions. It’s exam day in school, and as teachers snap to keep their eyes on their own papers—and Wissam steals glances at Joanna, begging for the courage to talk to her—sonic booms flash outside, and smoke rises in the distance. The adults try and keep the looming war from the children, but realize that they cannot. They can try to protect them, which they do, but who will protect them?

I said the film is like the eye of a hurricane, and it is; Mouaness and Cinematographer Brian Rigbey Hubbard focus on the school and its participants as the world closes in around them. A weaker film might have shown other parts of town, other families, or other locales. But it might have lost something in the process. By centering the film on this school—and never leaving—the filmmakers allow us to feel we are right there with the kids. But saying this, I feel it is important to say this is not a child-like movie; the emotions are big, as are its takeaways. It’s innocence-shattering and horrific, but at the same time it’s beautiful and timeless. The balance is imperceptible and sublime. 

Sublime and Gifted Acting from All Involved

To talk about the acting is to talk about the trio of Dalli, Maalouf, and Madi. Also added to this is Lelya Harkous, who plays Joanna’s best friend Abir. Together, the four paint a picture of youth and innocence that belies the conflict around them. Some scenes are wholly relatable—such as conversations between Joanna and Wissam as he says everything he can except how he feels about her—as well as conversations, disagreements, and play they all engage in.

“1982” also underlines what could have been a kitschy premise (a young boy in love with a young girl), by making us feel the emotion behind it as our own. As the conflict rises around them (at one point planes shoot each other down above their heads as they attempt to bus out of the area), I found myself never wanting more for Wissam to tell Joanna his true feelings. That he might not get another chance is not lost on the audience. And the scene where he finally does, a scene defying convention, is among the sweetest I’ve seen on film. 

This is not a film that audiences can watch detachedly…”

The rest of “1982” is well done too, from teacher’s worry about not only the kids, but their own families; and Mouaness wisely avoids much talk of politics and only humanizes everyone involved. It’s a movie filmed from a single room, except that room is a school; the only evidence of the war outside is seen from a distance—but it’s inching closer and closer. 

Doing this Beautiful Film Justice

I feel I’m failing to do this film justice in just how lovely it is. The best films on tragedy humanize their characters, and by making us care for them, make us care for it. But this is not a film that Americans like myself—or any other nation for that matter—can watch detachedly. We feel connected to its characters so deeply and on such a human level, that we are drawn in fully. We are drawn in to the point we wish these people were somewhere else, where we wish these kids’ soccer game was not interrupted by roving military trucks, and where one boy’s wish to tell a girl how he feels is more important than all the dangers that loom. You can feel “1982” in your heart, and it stays with you long after the credits roll. 

This is not a child-like movie; the emotions are big, as are its takeaways…”

This is a stellar film. It blends innocence with war, but never threatens to destroy innocence. It shows the lives of people you really start to care for, and does so with grace and balance. The acting by all involved (but especially its child actors) is superlative. Underneath its sun-baked skies, which Mouaness fills with both smoke and promise, lies a magical place where these people live a better life. It’s a call for empathy, and a call to look at distant news headlines just a little bit differently. And amidst it all, it’s a sweet romance that makes you feel better about life having witnessed it. They should make more movies like this; they really should. But for now, if you get the chance, do check out this intimate and beautiful piece of filmmaking. It astounds, and I can’t think of a better word for it. 

“1982” had its premiere in New York City theaters in early June, and just had its opening in Los Angeles theaters on June 24th. 

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