Eternality A Silver Bear winner for Best Director at Berlin, Beaufort is a war film that does not conform to the rules set by its genre. It is not visceral, has no in-your-face violence and gore, has no leading heroic character whom we can root for, and is certainly lacking in action in its purest sense. Yet it impresses because it manages to be compelling in its own unique way.Screened in Singapore for the first time at the 18th Israel Film Festival, Beaufort tells the story of a group of Israeli soldiers on enemy territory, defending a Lebanese mountain fort that they have conquered, which has become sort of like a base to them for the past few months. As they wait patiently for orders from their government to withdraw, they have to protect themselves against exploding shells, and the occasional missile that threatens to wreck their base.For most parts, Beaufort is a slow-moving and meditative drama that focuses on the brotherhood and camaraderie of the soldiers marooned on an enemy site that is steeped in a long history of bloodshed. Director Joseph Cedar takes his time to develop the characters, of which there are quite a few. Some of them die, and there is enough reason to feel aggrieved about their unfortunate fates.Cedar underlines his strength as a skillful director by milking every ounce of tension in many of the film's highly suspenseful scenes. Two sequences immediately come to mind. The first is a sequence that Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, 2009) would have been proud of. It shows a soldier who is trained in bomb disposal trying to locate an unexploded device. He holds a metal rod, prodding the ground as he takes one step after another. The unease and unpredictability in this sequence is taken to the extreme, with no avenue of assurance offered at all to the viewer.The second sequence comes much later. A soldier makes a last trip to his bunker to see if anything important is left behind before his comrades blow the whole place up with hundreds of mines already wired together. The overwhelming sense of dread caused by the fear that the soldier may be blown to pieces anytime, accidentally or otherwise, may be too much to bear for some viewers.The sense of location captured in Beaufort is quite excellent. Wide shots of the surrounding wilderness highlight the isolation as faced by the soldiers. This is balanced by claustrophobic shots of man-made maze-like tunnels in the fort that threaten to disturb the spatial orientation of any soldier trekking through it. Even though we see the film from a restrictive perspective, that of the Israeli soldiers, Cedar still makes sure that we are well aware of "larger presences" i.e. the enemy and the Israeli government that are controlling the fates of these soldiers.While clearly an anti-war film detailing the emotional and psychological impact that war has on soldiers, Beaufort also succeeds in portraying these brave fighters as a cohesive unit, bonded by a common goal (in this case, them withdrawing from an enemy zone). The sad thing, and this is prevalent in the world we live in, is that these soldiers are ultimately used as faceless pawns in an elaborate game of hard core politics that intelligent and mature grownups play. A game that certainly has no consideration for human empathy.SCORE: 8.5/10 (www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com) All rights reserved!

Enchorde Recap: The story of the last few weeks of Israel occupation of the castle Beaufort, a strategic stronghold highly contested by rivaling armies at least since the crusades. Now the last Israeli soldiers find themselves trapped by the enemy fire and the inability of their superiors to protect or withdraw them.Comments: Quite a strong statement, without really taking any sides, except the side of the soldiers. It has a very realistic feel about it, and one get a glimpse of what life in a surrounded fort could be like.Mostly good acting, and not surprisingly a few sympathetic characters to care about. There were some odd behavior though from a few, but that is not really surprising either.I had a little trouble to really care for or get an interest in the move though. It might have been that the story doesn't seem to have any real direction, no end or purpose. It's mostly a chain of events outside the control of any of the characters. Therefore there is little suspense in seeing what happens next as it doesn't really connect to what happened before.Still a sober and honest depiction of what might war might really look like. A different kind of war movie. Well worth a watch, Oscar-nomination and all.6/10

ian-1541 I think that rating films out of 10 is a little futile, as what may stir one person may leave another cold. With that disclaimer set then let me say this about Beaufort: Yes this is a war film, in the sense that the characters are soldiers. It is however, in my opinion far more of a character study than most films in the genre. Full Metal Jacket has been mentioned as a comparable work, and I can understand the comparisons. The internal turmoil of the characters is portrayed with similar verve, and the swings at provoking the big questions have similar merit. Where Kubrick's film veers into the slightly surreal to deliver it's message, Beaufort stairs straight ahead into the stark reality of it's particular war time situation, and this is perhaps the fork in the road where the two films part company. This very tangible starkness is what enables the film to deliver such a telling experience, life and death laid bare for all to see and attempt to comprehend. It is one of the quintessential artistic topics, and Beaufort approaches it admirably. The viewing experience may not be as exhilarating as Saving Private Ryan or Platoon, and it certainly lacks the surrealistic glee of Full Metal Jacket, but Beaufort had me contemplating it's content long after I watched it. It had me writing this review, something that I have not done for any of the films I mention in reference to Beaufort, despite their qualities. In conclusion I would thoroughly recommend Beaufort to anyone that enjoys cerebral films, and if you particularly enjoy war films then I would also recommend Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" as another excellent war film that is similarly thought provoking.

Rachel Enevoldsen This film has just been aired on the Copenhagen International Film Festival and of all the Israeli films available, this was the one I was - not - going to see, and yet I did. It is still only a few days, since I saw it, but the images return and the sheer originality in terms of being a 'war movie' coupled with the usual Jewish genius of making a point: in short comment, dry humor, body language, tone of voice, well chosen repetition i.e. the monotonous, almost dead, tone over a loudspeaker from the lookouts stationed to warn against 'incoming, incoming' missiles, which after explosion were commented on by,'impact, impact'. After the third or fourth of these 'scenes' I suddenly felt a wave of claustrophobia and fear, which these young Israeli soldiers must have felt being stuck on a mountain top, without a visual enemy, and only lookouts to rely on for their own lives and safety, 'incoming, incoming' - crash, bang -'impact, impact' - it was unnerving. This film is a must for anyone - also those who like me, are not war buffs, because it is not about war. It is about a lot of things. Reality, how to handle anxiety, frustration, loss, grief, in a tight and stuck environment, with no relief in sight, (Israel itself?) It is about individuality in terms of different personalities, backgrounds, political opinions who have to make it work and who do in their own humorous, gentle, aggressive, accepting way. It is about men and a male attitude which I have not witnessed for over thirty years,(and sorely missed); the honesty and humanity of men, and it is about exile. The one lifeline to the home country; a dirt road, has been blocked by a strange explosive device for about a month, and this is where the film starts, with the bomb squad arriving at the outpost, to identify and disarm the device, so that the outpost can receive supplies once again...and a whole 'different' story is touched upon. I could go on for hours about this film, and not in a very logical way, since all the 'points' haven't been connected yet, it has so many layers. This what I call genius - 'layering' and this is what I look for in Israeli film and this year it was Beaufort, who delivered. Go and see it.