1982, de Oualid Mouannes

Abstract

War is the main element in the Lebanese collective consciousness and memory. Throughout the years, Lebanese citizens fight its residue, which still traumatizes them and define their existence. For artists, the reaction appeared through their work, and in this article, the Lebanese film 1982 by the director Oualid Mouaness will be tackled. This film is to be analyzed through its aesthetics and plot. Mouaness had a story to tell, like any other Lebanese witnessing that era. Thus, his film 1982 is to be added to the long list of Lebanese war films. Yet, what makes it different? In this article we study Mouaness’s chosen aesthetics in representing this national catastrophe, wavering between labeling this film as a children film or a war film. The question is: Under which category of genres does this film fall, and what do Mouaness has to say, in such a post-war film?