'Under the Bombs' gets the prize for reality

One of the best things about independent film sometimes is the story behind the story.

Lack of budget not only spurs creativity but can make for some amazing anecdotes. Like in the case of "Under the Bombs," a French-Lebanese production I caught the other night after the strong and effusive recommendation by one of the Sundance volunteers.

Shot in the summer of 2006, just four days after the Israeli bombing of southern Lebanon had stopped, "Under the Bombs" follows a woman who hires a cabdriver to take her into the war zone to find her missing son and sister. For several days, they pass through the war-torn area, following the sometimes bloody trail of her loved ones who were displaced several times.

Director Philippe Aractingi got the idea two days after the bombings started, and as soon as they had ceased, he was in the thick of the destruction with two actors, no script and only the vaguest sense of where they were going. The result is some of the most thrilling footage of the ravages of war ever put in a feature film.

When U.N. soldiers arrived, Aractingi was there with his actors, improvising scenes among them and sometimes asking them to participate. The same was true for villagers who had to suffer the bombing. They told their stories to the filmmakers, then they were asked to repeat them in front of the cameras. It's the kind of verisimilitude Hollywood would need a lavish budget and a crack staff of CGI artists to match.

I've heard from several people that "Under the Bombs" was one of the only movies at the fest this year that really got them in the heart. With a lineup that includes so many dark subjects, this is one that really seems to put some emotions behind the pain.

-- Patrick Day

(Photo courtesy Memento Films)

Comments

[SCREENWRITERS-NON-UNION.COM]

WATCH FOR THE NEW DOCUMENTARY, COMING OUT FROM 3RD COAST PRODUCTIONS INC. IT WAS FILMING AROUND THE SAME TIME, BUT COVERS BBC FILM ON ''IRANIAN KIDNEY SALE'' WHERE FRANKENSTEIN TYPE DR'S ''STEAL'' AND SELL THE ORGANS FROM THE POOR IRANIANS THAT ARE FORCED TO SELL THEIR ORGANS TO THESE UNSCRUPULOUS DR;S FOR MONEY TO FEED THEIR STARVING FAMILIES, IT'S THE WORST CASE OF HUMAN ORGAN THEFT,,SINCE THE RUSSIANS KIDNAPPING CASES.

IT WILL BE AT SUNDANCE, NEXT YEAR!!

[SCREENWRITERS-NON-UNION.COM]

IT'S DISTURBING THAT FILMMAKERS AND NON NEWS RELATED ENTERTAINMENT WRITERS, ARE THE REAL SOURCE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD TODAY. THESE STORIES IF NOT FOR SUNDANCE...WOULD BE BURIED ON THE BACK PAGES, IF REPORTED AT ALL. THANKS, SUNDANCE!!!!!!!!