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Beirut, Oh Beirut

Name: Beirut, Oh Beirut
Director: Maroun Bagdadi
Released: 1975
Duration: 110 min

Representation Score

7.3/10

Good

1975

Director

Maroun Bagdadi

Runtime

110 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Maroun Bagdadi’s work is a vital piece of post-colonial cinema that centers Middle Eastern identity. It excels by providing an authentic, non-Western perspective on systemic instability and the fragmentation of national myths. The film's strength lies in its cultural and racial authenticity, offering a profound critique of traditional institutional stability. It moves beyond Western-centric narratives to explore the lived experiences of a local population during a period of intense sociopolitical collapse. However, the film lacks representation for LGBTQ+ identities and characters with disabilities. The narrative focus remains heavily on collective political movements and the macro-scale impacts of war rather than individual underrepresented identities.

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Category Breakdown

Does Beirut, Oh Beirut have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses on the sociopolitical upheaval of the Lebanese Civil War. It prioritizes macro-political struggles over individual LGBTQ+ identities.

How does Beirut, Oh Beirut portray gender?

Fair

Women are shown as active participants in political movements and urban struggles. They disrupt traditional domestic roles while the narrative centers on male-dominated warfare.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Beirut, Oh Beirut?

Excellent

The film provides an authentic, Arab-centric reality by centering a Lebanese cast. It challenges Western-centric cinematic perspectives through its focus on Middle Eastern urban life.

How does Beirut, Oh Beirut represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative deconstructs unified national identity, highlighting the fragmented realities of a society in transition. It critiques Western-aligned political structures and the collapse of centralized state power.

Does Beirut, Oh Beirut include disability representation?

Limited

The film captures the physical and psychological trauma of warfare. However, characters with disabilities are not given central narrative roles or specific ability to act.

Present on Screen

Authentic portrayal of Arab-centric reality and Middle Eastern urban life.
Challenges Western-centric cinematic perspectives through a local lens.
Depicts women as active participants in political and social shifts.
Provides a profound critique of centralized state power and institutions.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth gender identities or same-sex intimacy.
Does not provide ability to act or central roles for characters with disabilities.
Narrative remains heavily centered on male-dominated experiences of warfare.

Official Synopsis

In the aftermath of the 1967 defeat, four young Lebanese try to figure out their places in a society whose rules seem to have changed. It proved to be an extraordinary anticipation of the civil war that would engulf the country while the film was being edited.

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