It has been so long, that I didn't felt speechless in front of a movie, specially a middle eastern one... I had the great chance to see the movie Tannoura Maxi ("Heels of War" - the English title) in Dubai International Film Festival few days ago, and I felt not just in love with every single frame of it, but it won the privilege of touching me straight into the heart... And as a first film for a new Lebanese Director I really wasn't expecting that much of maturity and richness, I wasn't expecting that I will be confronted to a brilliant film!
Dealing with the story of his own parent in that sensual and erotic way as well as exposing the shades of his country in a certain critical period was astonishing! I never expected that a Lebanese artist will have the boldness to dig into his privacy with no restraint, to broadcast his little secret with good conscience...
I cried more than once, and each time I wasn't able to explain why am I crying... It is not a drama at all, but Emotions are that much high in many scenes to a point that you feel yourself a baby in a need of the affection of your own mother... Feminine sides in me was boosted.. I felt that I should express my love more, that I should be proud of my feelings... Heels are not the ones of war, but the ones of love, passion, sensuality, resistance... The war is not between countries, religions, states... but between human feelings, between love and oppression, between freedom and traditions...
The Director gives the viewers the privilege of sharing his emotions by keeping them on the threshold of their houses... He will peek through door locks, more specifically the one belonging to his parent's room... Idols will become puppets manipulated by the hands of their own descendant.
Briefly, I was astonished with the quality and the cinematic language of this unreleased yet Lebanese Movie... I felt from the first scenes that am in front of a poetry, in front of a wonderful painting, of a mature treatment of a middle eastern story... I felt in Love with the movie without knowing why... I wanted to contemplate every shot, to analyze every move, every eye contact... I enjoyed the music to the maximum, and specially the ending song... I wanted to applaud high in the end, but same time I wanted to stop the cheers of the people in the theater to listen to the breathtaking final song...
I felt that I want to go back to Lebanon and to feel for real the familiarity of every actor, of every true and authentic situation... Yes it is a 100% authentic movie! Other than Nadine Labaki, I think Joe Bou Eid is the only Director who is dealing in a serious way with the Lebanese Cinema... So proud of having like this film out, so proud that Lebanon started showing the world that he contains great artists who need just the chance to expose and show their talent and their wonderful Potential!...
I will not stop watching this movie, (anyways it is a movie that needs to be watched minimum twice...) a movie that portrays crossing a stage, cutting the umbilical cord, a movie that speaks to everyone who is experiencing any kind of relationship, any kind of transition, to everyone who is maturing or moving on the path of discovery and revelation...
