Miguel's War

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Miguel's War

2021

2h 7m

Documentary

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8 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

MIGUEL'S WAR is the story of a gay man who grew up oppressed and shamed during the Lebanese civil war. Raised by a conservative Catholic father and an authoritarian Syrian mother, teenage Miguel was inhibited by a deep inferiority complex and was incapable of asserting himself. In 1983 the deeply sensitive boy, desperate to prove he "exists" and can act like "a real man" joined the fighting as part of an armed faction. But his experience was a failure. Traumatized he immigrates to Madrid, Spain. In post-Franco Madrid, Miguel seeks to liberate himself through debauchery. A string of destructive relationships lead him to a failed suicide. Trying to pull himself together, Miguel becomes a conference interpreter in Barcelona. Only then, thirty-seven years after leaving Lebanon, Miguel feels ready to face his trauma and the ghosts of his past, and hopes to regain his emotional balance and maybe even find love. Using intertwining cinematic forms, melding documentary, animation, theater and archive and filmed on location in Lebanon and Spain, this feature film hopes to offer an experience of self-confrontation, awareness and catharsis.

Jay Weissberg

Variety

By focusing on one person, the breadth of Lebanon's troubled collective experience is uncovered, and with humor, honesty and a common humanity it can be brought into the open for potential healing.

Mar 16, 2021

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KT Mahe

For Your Reference Podcast

A two-for-one documentary where we are actively digging to the centre of Miguel and the life he has crafted for himself.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 2, 2023

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Unclassifiably mixing elements of autobiography, fiction and experimentation...

Nov 11, 2022

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Shane Slater

Awards Radar

At times frustrating but always rooted in relatable honesty.

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 30, 2021

Full Review

Enric Albero

Caimán Cuadernos de Cine

Shows the possibilities of cinema as an instrument of healing. [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 17, 2021

Full Review

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

It's a powerful portrait of a person and place, and one of the most impressive documentaries of the year.

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 21, 2021

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J H

a brilliant piece of doc cinema

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/15/23

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Eliane Raheb

Director

Miguel Jleilaty

Actor

Eliane Raheb

Writer

Eliane Raheb

Producer

Bassem Fayad

Cinematographer

Nader Moussally

Art Director

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Synopsis

MIGUEL'S WAR is the story of a gay man who grew up oppressed and shamed during the Lebanese civil war. Raised by a conservative Catholic father and an authoritarian Syrian mother, teenage Miguel was inhibited by a deep inferiority complex and was incapable of asserting himself. In 1983 the deeply sensitive boy, desperate to prove he "exists" and can act like "a real man" joined the fighting as part of an armed faction. But his experience was a failure. Traumatized he immigrates to Madrid, Spain. In post-Franco Madrid, Miguel seeks to liberate himself through debauchery. A string of destructive relationships lead him to a failed suicide. Trying to pull himself together, Miguel becomes a conference interpreter in Barcelona. Only then, thirty-seven years after leaving Lebanon, Miguel feels ready to face his trauma and the ghosts of his past, and hopes to regain his emotional balance and maybe even find love. Using intertwining cinematic forms, melding documentary, animation, theater and archive and filmed on location in Lebanon and Spain, this feature film hopes to offer an experience of self-confrontation, awareness and catharsis.

Director: Eliane Raheb
Producer: Eliane Raheb
Screenwriter: Eliane Raheb, Eliane Raheb
Production Co: Itar Productions
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Runtime: 2h 7m