Israeli film on Lebanon pullout shatters war myths

By Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - The terrified Israeli soldiers in director Joseph Cedar's new film "Beaufort" cannot see their enemy.

But their nerves are strained to the breaking point by the shattering blasts from Hezbollah missiles that rain down on their mountain stronghold each day, in a seemingly endless cycle of senseless violence.

The young soldiers are defending an outpost in the heart of enemy territory in southern Lebanon -- the site of the medieval Beaufort Crusader castle, which became a powerful symbol of Israel's hold on its neighbor following its 1982 invasion.

Israel's sudden withdrawal from Beaufort and Lebanon in May 2000 after 18 years of occupation is the backdrop for Cedar's haunting film, which explores the moral dilemmas of wartime soldiers while sending a broader message about the futility of war itself.

"The film treats war like a natural disaster or force of nature," Cedar told reporters at the Berlin Film Festival, where the film, partly funded by the Israeli government, debuted.

"There is no enemy, or you don't see it. The missiles fall like rain. It could be any war, anywhere."

Israeli actor Oshri Cohen plays Liraz, the 22-year-old outpost commander who must keep his fears in check as his soldiers slowly crack under the pressure of daily rocket attacks on their claustrophobic maze of mountain-top bunkers.

He can only look on helplessly as his comrades, eagerly awaiting a green light from the government to leave the strategic hilltop fortress, are picked off one by one.

It is not until the survivors have blown up the concrete complex that their friends died defending and withdrawn safely to Israeli territory that Liraz can let down the emotional guard he has erected to ward off mental collapse.

SHIFT IN PERCEPTIONS

Filming of "Beaufort" was completed in June 2006, a month before Israel re-entered Lebanon in a new war that killed around 1,200 Lebanese and 159 Israelis before a truce was struck on August 14.

The film reflects a shift in popular perceptions of Israel's military -- long a force for national unity whose exploits against Arab foes were celebrated, no matter how bloody.

"We are all very much in the middle of a violent conflict that touches our daily lives," said Cedar, who was born in the United States but spent much of his mandatory Israeli army service dodging Hezbollah ambushes in the "security zone."

"There's a cry here, there's a shout for help."

Cedar's previous two films, "Time of Favor" (2000) and "Campfire" (2004), offered unvarnished portraits of Jewish settlers.