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Beirut, My City

Name: Beirut, My City
Director: Jocelyne Saab
Released: 1983
Duration: 38 min

Representation Score

6.9/10

Good

1983

Director

Jocelyne Saab

Runtime

38 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Jocelyne Saab’s documentary stands apart from traditional war cinema by emphasizing subjective memory over objective journalism. By focusing on a female perspective, the film explores the psychological and domestic realities of a besieged population rather than military heroism. The film effectively captures the complex, multi-ethnic makeup of Beirut. It challenges Western-centric historical narratives by highlighting the fragmentation of local social and cultural structures during the conflict. Although the film lacks specific representation of LGBTQ+ individuals or characters with disabilities, it uses the damaged urban landscape as a powerful metaphor for systemic trauma.

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Category Breakdown

Does Beirut, My City have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film serves as a poetic reflection on urban destruction and shared trauma. It does not include any documented LGBTQ+ characters or stories.

How does Beirut, My City portray gender?

Good

Saab uses a female perspective to document the siege, shifting the focus from the typical male-dominated war narratives to the domestic and psychological impacts on the city.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Beirut, My City?

Excellent

The documentary captures the diverse religious and ethnic groups that make up Beirut, presenting a non-Western urban identity that resists simple stereotypes.

How does Beirut, My City represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film critiques Western-driven geopolitical forces and the instability they bring to the Levant region. It highlights the fragmented nature of the city through a post-colonial lens.

Does Beirut, My City include disability representation?

Fair

While the film does not have specific characters with disabilities, it portrays the city as a wounded entity, using the destroyed infrastructure and psychological trauma as a central metaphor.

Present on Screen

Shifts away from traditional male-dominated war narratives by using a female directorial perspective.
Highlights the diverse religious and ethnic groups that make up Beirut's population.
Challenges Western-centric geopolitical narratives through a personal, post-colonial viewpoint.
Uses the wounded urban landscape as a metaphor for collective psychological trauma.

Limited or Absent

Does not include any documented LGBTQ+ characters or stories.
Does not feature specific characters with disabilities.

Official Synopsis

In July 1982, the Israeli army besieged Beirut. Four days earlier, Jocelyne Saab sees her house burn and 150 years of family existence go up in smoke. She then takes refuge in questioning: when did this all begin? How did the Beirut people live the siege? Each place will then become a story and each name a memory.

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