CAIRO – 15 September 2017: Director Ziad Doueiri’s French/Lebanese drama “the Insult” (L’insulte) explores tensions within Arab society via a simple argument that escalates into a full blown court drama with nationwide political implications.
Set in Beirut, Lebanon, the film follows Toni (Adel Karam), a Lebanese Christian who is visited by repairman Yasser (Kamel El Basha), a Palestinian refugee. Yasser is working on Toni’s street when he notices that Toni has a misaligned drainpipe outside his flat; upon asking him about this, Yasser is greeted with the door being slammed on his face.
He takes it upon himself to fix the pipe, which causes Toni to destroy his work, leading to Yasser insulting him. Toni visits Yasser’s boss to demand an apology, but the proud Yasser refuses to back down. What results is more than just an escalating fight between two men; it is an examination of Lebanon’s tense relationship with its large population of Palestinian refugees.
One scene has Toni insulting Yasser’s background, blinded by his hate and prejudice. Worse still, the feud between the two men attracts national attention, causing riots and demonstrations to erupt throughout Lebanon. The film culminates in a court case, and, by this point, the two men realize their prejudices were not worth the resulting chaos, but are trapped by their own differences.
The Insult premiered on September 14 in Lebanon and was nominated for the Golden Lion award at the 2017 Venice Film Festival.
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