The Insult

 

((France-Lebanon-Belgium-USA, 2018) Director: Ziad Doueiri.
Cast: Adel Karam, Rita Hayek, Kamel El Basha, Christine Choueiri, Camille Salamé, Diamand Bou Abboud.

Although Lebanon’s civil war has ended, the Beirut of Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult is still a tinderbox, with Lebanese Christians and Muslims living warily side-by-side with Palestinian refugees. The genius of The Insult is that it starts so small: Palestinian construction worker Yasser (Kamel El Basha) fixes an illegal pipe into to a small garage owned by a member of the Christian right, Tony Hanna (Adel Karam). When Yasser goes to apologize, the men end up in a fight, with Tony Hanna shouting “I wish Ariel Sharon wiped you all out.” What seemed fairly insignificant goes nuclear, as the high-stakes courtroom drama that follows captures the attention – and passion – of the entire country.
“Ziad Doueiri’s Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar nominee is a crackling legal thriller that boils down centuries of Middle Eastern conflict into one reckless insult – and lets the sparks fly.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone