1982
A
film by Oualid Mouaness
1982 is a
life-affirming coming-of-age tale set at an idyllic school in Lebanon's
mountains on the eve of a looming invasion. It unfolds over a single day and
follows an 11-year-old boy's relentless quest to profess his love to a girl in
his class. As the invasion encroaches on Beirut, it upends the day, threatening
the entire country and its cohesion. Within the microcosm of the school, the
film draws a harrowing portrait of a society torn between its desire for love
and peace and the ideological schisms unraveling its seams. In his debut
feature, director Oualid Mouaness delivers an ode to innocence in which he
revisits one of the most cataclysmic moments in Lebanon's history through the
lens of a child and his vibrant imagination. The film demonstrates the
complexities of love and war, and the resilience of the human spirit.
1982 stars Mohamad Dalli (in his acting debut) and Lebanese
superstar Nadine Labaki (Capernaum, Where Do We Go Now, Caramel)
alongside an extraordinary ensemble cast of professional and non-professional
actors. 1982 is the first film from Lebanon to address the polemic
and politically sensitive 1982 Lebanon War. (2021, 100min., Lebanon/Norway/France/Qatar, NR, In Arabic & English | Dir.
Oualid Mouaness)
