A German reporter Georg Laschen (Bruno Ganz) arrives in Beirut, Lebanon with a photographer Hoffmann (Jerzy Skolimowski), aiming to write an article on the inflammatory situation there. The city has more or less been turned into a huge war zone where bombs and gunfire are ever-present especially during the dark hours of the day. Laschen's own personal motives for accepting such a dangerous job are related to his frustration about his troubled marital situation back in Germany; something he tries to overcome by striking up a relationship with Ariane (Hanna Schygulla), a white woman living in Beirut. Despite witnessing many atrocities, or perhaps because of it, Laschen struggles to achieve an understanding of the motives of the warring parties who both claim to fight for peace and freedom and accuse each other of barbaric acts of terror.
The film was shot on location in Beirut which guarantees a very authentic look to the damaged city. Many of the "action" scenes also look very effective and the sense of danger is well created, even though the main focus is given to psychological things like Laschen's attempts to grasp the situation, not thrilling bomb attacks and firefights. Sometimes the pacing feels a little slow, but the acting is good throughout. Especially the brooding Ganz and the pragmatic Skolimowski play well together, bringing life to their very different characters.
The most notable sentiment present in the film is the complete lack of optimism. The war is portrayed as completely inhumane and unheroic waste of life: the photographs and scenes depicting unspeakable mistreatment of civilians stay in the viewer's mind for a long time. The film doesn't offer a hopeful or positive message on either of its two levels, general or personal – no solution for either the war or Laschen's own anxiety seems possible. "Our only real chance to fight the violence is to not let it start in the first place" is the vibe I'm getting out of the film – an effective piece of cinema.
