West Beirut

"Growing up is only half the battle."

1998 1h 45m AR

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 51

DramaComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1975, the long slog of civil war has recently begun in Beirut. Two friends, Tarek and Omar, suffer during the Lebanese civil war. Conflicts arise when they decide to cross from West to East, crossing the Muslim-Christian line that divides Beirut.

“Growing up is only half the battle.”

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Cast

Rami Doueiri
Tarek
Mohammad Chamas
Omar
Rola Al Amin
May
Carmen Lebbos
Hala
Joseph Bou Nassar
Riad
Liliane Nemri
Nahida
Mahmoud Mabsout
Hassan
Hassan Farhat
Militiaman Zeytouni

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ziad Doueiri
Writers: Ziad Doueiri
Languages: Arabic, French
Countries: Lebanon, Belgium, France, Norway

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Lebanon, Belgium, France, Norway.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ziad Doueiri, shot by Ricardo Jacques Gale. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stewart Copeland. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dominique Marcombe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rami Doueiri and Mohammad Chamas and Rola Al Amin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ziad Doueiri directs. Ricardo Jacques Gale behind the camera. Stewart Copeland scores. Dominique Marcombe cuts. Produced in Lebanon, Belgium, France, Norway. Dialogue in Arabic, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, French.
3International production across 4 countries: Lebanon, Belgium, France, Norway.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Ziad Doueiri, shot by Ricardo Jacques Gale. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Stewart Copeland. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Dominique Marcombe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Rami Doueiri and Mohammad Chamas and Rola Al Amin carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Growing up is only half the battle.".
10IMDB entry: tt0157183 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 51 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 8 themes, including "civil war", "1970s", "coming of age", "teenage boy".
13Released under 11 different titles around the world.