A Letter from Beirut

Loading Trailer Videos...
  • HomePage

  • Overview

    Letter from Beirut documents the filmmaker's return to Beirut during one of the lulls, three years after the outbreak of the civil war, animated by the urge to return. She is confronted by the physical, emotional and psychological ravages of the war, terrified and sorrowful, she cannot find her place in the city. In that quest, she communicates with everyday people, friends, neighbors, people riding the bus across the city's eastern and western flanks. To pace her journeying and dramatic unraveling of the film, Saab borrows the guise of a letter read in a voice-over, written by world-renowned poet Etel Adnan. A rare document from the civil war, Letter from Beirut lays bare and spontaneously how people make sense of their everyday in the midst of chaos, violence, terror and sorrow.

  • Release Date

    1978-01-01

  • Average

    6.75

  • Rating:

    3.4 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    العربيةEnglishFrançais

Similar Movies

Jules and Jim
75%

Jules and Jim(fr)

1962-01-23

In the carefree days before World War I, introverted Austrian author Jules strikes up a friendship with the exuberant Frenchman Jim and both men fall for the impulsive and beautiful Catherine.

Battle of Midway: The True Story
40%

Battle of Midway: The True Story(en)

2019-11-11

It's June 1942 and the world's fate is about to be decided by a handful of pilots and their untested aircraft. Experience an inside look at the Battle of Midway, captured through rarely seen battle footage and firsthand accounts from its hero dive-bombing pilot, "Dusty" Kleiss. This is an hour-by-hour recount of one of the most pivotal conflicts of the 20th century. Take a closer look at how this desperately needed victory came about through the design of U.S. airplanes, the skill of the pilots, the element of surprise, and a stroke of luck.

The Leopard
77%

The Leopard(it)

1963-03-27

As Garibaldi's troops begin the unification of Italy in the 1860s, an aristocratic Sicilian family grudgingly adapts to the sweeping social changes undermining their way of life. Proud but pragmatic Prince Don Fabrizio Salina allows his war hero nephew, Tancredi, to marry Angelica, the beautiful daughter of gauche, bourgeois Don Calogero, in order to maintain the family's accustomed level of comfort and political clout.

Sommersby
63%

Sommersby(en)

1993-02-05

Set in the South just after the US Civil War, Laurel Sommersby is just managing to work the farm without her husband, believed killed in battle. By all accounts, Jack Sommersby was not a pleasant man, thus when he suddenly returns, Laurel has mixed emotions. It appears that Jack has changed a great deal, leading some people to believe that this is not actually Jack but an imposter. Laurel herself is unsure, but willing to take the man into her home, and perhaps later into her heart.

Singing Water
0%

Singing Water(de)

2007-01-01

Shortly after Ernst Richter, aka Enno, lost his job, his social situation began to change drastically. A supposed war is raging in Germany, and Enno tries to escape this grim reality by holing up in his house. One day, however, he is dispossessed of his property.

Silvered Water
66%

Silvered Water(fr)

2014-12-17

Shot by a reported “1,001 Syrians” according to the filmmakers, SILVERED WATER, SYRIA SELF-PORTRAIT impressionistically documents the destruction and atrocities of the civil war through a combination of eye-witness accounts shot on mobile phones and posted to the internet, and footage shot by Bedirxan during the siege of Homs. Bedirxan, an elementary school teacher in Homs, had contacted Mohammed online to ask him what he would film, if he was there. Mohammed, working in forced exile in Paris, is tormented by feelings of cowardice as he witnesses the horrors from afar, and the self-reflexive film also chronicles how he is haunted in his dreams by a Syrian boy once shot to death for snatching his camera on the street.

No End
70%

No End(pl)

1985-06-17

1982, Poland. A translator loses her husband and becomes a victim of her own sorrow. She looks to sex, to her son, to law, and to hypnotism when she has nothing else in this time of martial law when Solidarity was banned.

All Quiet on the Western Front
77%

All Quiet on the Western Front(en)

1930-04-29

When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.

Syriana
64%

Syriana(en)

2005-11-23

The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman, a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.

The Earth Is Blue as an Orange
72%

The Earth Is Blue as an Orange(uk)

2020-11-26

Single mother Anna and her four children live in the front-line war zone of Donbas, Ukraine. While the outside world is made up of bombings and chaos, the family is managing to keep their home a safe haven, full of life and full of light. Every member of the family has a passion for cinema, motivating them to shoot a film inspired by their own life during a time of war. The creative process raises the question of what kind of power the magical world of cinema could have during times of disaster. How to picture war through fiction? For Anna and the children, transforming trauma into a work of art is the ultimate way to stay human.

The Diary of Anne Frank
72%

The Diary of Anne Frank(en)

1959-03-18

The true, harrowing story of a young Jewish girl who, with her family and their friends, is forced into hiding in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam.

Earth and Ashes
56%

Earth and Ashes(ps)

2004-05-13

Elderly Dastaguir and his newly deaf 5-year-old grandson Yassin hitchhike and walk, but mostly walk, as they make their way to the coal mine where Dastaguir's son Murad works. Dastaguir must tell Murad that the rest of their family were all killed in a recent bomb attack.

The Old Gun
75%

The Old Gun(fr)

1975-08-20

In Montauban in 1944, Julien Dandieu in a surgeon in the local hospital. Frightened by the German army entering Montauban, he asks his friend Francois to drive his wife and his daughter in the back country village where Julien has an old castle. One week later, Julien decided to meet then for the week end, but the Germans are already occupying the village.

Shanghai Express
70%

Shanghai Express(en)

1932-02-12

A beautiful temptress re-kindles an old romance while trying to escape her past during a tension-packed train journey.

Sunflower
75%

Sunflower(it)

1970-03-14

After World War II, a woman refuses to believe her husband, missing on the Russian front, is dead. Flashbacks reveal their brief courtship and marriage. Years later, she travels to Russia with his photo, determined to find him. What will she discover?

Fahrenheit 9/11
71%

Fahrenheit 9/11(en)

2004-06-25

Michael Moore's view on how the Bush administration allegedly used the tragic events on 9/11 to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Excursion
73%

Excursion(el)

1966-09-26

1941 and the war culminates. The wife of a lieutenant and a sergeant fall madly in love. Times and circumstances -military service, marriage, friendship between the two men- forbid this love, but do not negate it. When the lieutenant is injured and taken to hospital, the two lovers, against all odds, dare the only possible way out: he defects, she leaves her husband, and they begin a journey without return towards the border.

Souls Protest
10%

Souls Protest(ko)

2000-01-01

Billed as a North Korean "Titanic". On August 15, 1945, Japanese Imperialists were defeated and there echoed in Japan, too, shouts of victory of thousands of Korean people who had been drafted to Japan. They formed a repatriation autonomy to return to their dear homeland. The Japs plot to blow up their ship on the way which is overloaded with thousands of Koreans who requested repatriation; whose number in fact is twice as many as the ship's fixed capacity. Cha Myong Jin and other Koreans who are ignorant of this fact set out with great joy and hope, talking and laughing. Cha Myong Jin meets his fiance on the ship and whispers their future life. But they dream breaks out. The Japs turn the ship to the Maizuru Port under the pretext of refilling the drinking water and drive the Koreans below deck while preparing to blow up the ship.

The General And Me
0%

The General And Me(en)

2017-05-29

Over the period of 25 years the director met General Võ Nguyên Giáp, a legendary hero of Vietnam’s independence wars, a number of times. She was the first American who entered the home of the “Red Napoleon”. The fruit of this friendship is a film, personal and politically involved at the same time. Travelling across the country and talking to important figures as well as ordinary people, the director finds out more about her roots and offers the audience a unique perspective on Vietnam’s present and past.

Safeguarding Military Information
53%

Safeguarding Military Information(en)

1942-01-16

World War II propaganda short which focuses on the dangers of inadvertent dispersal of military information.

Recommendations Movies

Slayers Return
65%

Slayers Return(ja)

1996-08-03

Lina Inverse and Naga the White Serpent are back! What begins as a routine bandit-stomping turns into the adventure of a lifetime involving magical golems, an ancient Elven weapon and even someone bent on destroying the world. It's a predicament only Lina and Naga could get themselves in to.

As
70%

As(en)

2023-01-01

Three years after the death of her beloved child, Elouise, Mara still feels her presence when she sits on the butterfly bedding in front of the jar with her ashes in it. Mara arranges a twelfth birthday party for Elouise, further alienating her from her husband, Richter, and remaining daughter, Hannah. Although Mara eventually vacates Elouise's room at the insistence of her husband, she does find a way to stay close to Elouise. Before long, however, Hannah discovers her mother's secret.

Fantozzi Retires
61%

Fantozzi Retires(it)

1988-12-22

After thirty years in the big corporation, Ugo Fantozzi retires. Suddenly, he needs things to do in everyday life and he tries a number of activities: helping Pina shopping; babysitting grand-daughter Uga; a trip to Venice; learning golf. He then fakes documents to get a new job, but in the end he becomes a hypochondriac and doesn't even take a long-awaited chance with Miss Silvani.

Fantozzi The Return
58%

Fantozzi The Return(it)

1996-12-20

Ugo Fantozzi has been ejected from Heaven and is sent back to Earth for a short period of time until the staff in Heaven can get Fantozzi a place there. Fantozzi goes through a variety of unfortunate experiences, such as rescuing his retro punk granddaughter Uga, and having to pay a vast telephone bill due to frequent chat line conversations. He ends up getting arrested instead of his ex-boss, who was originally charged with corruption. Just as he is about to enjoy the World Cup Final with Italy, he is called back into Heaven. Can he find peace once again?

Return to Horror High
52%

Return to Horror High(en)

1987-01-28

A few years ago, a mysterious serial-killer caused panic on Crippen High School. The killer was never caught. A movie company, Cosmic Pictures, has decided to make a feature movie about these events - on location, at the now abandoned school. Since members of cast and crew disappear without a trace, it seems as if history is repeating itself...

Fantozzi to the Rescue
61%

Fantozzi to the Rescue(it)

1990-12-21

Fantozzi is now retired but continues to go to the office where it is held up as a fine example of employees intending to do career.

Sayen: The Huntress
59%

Sayen: The Huntress(es)

2024-04-26

Realizing that she cannot take down Fisk alone, Sayen teams up with an underground resistance group with a plan to expose and end Fisk's unchecked plundering once and for all.

Muzzle
65%

Muzzle(en)

2023-09-29

LAPD K-9 officer Jake Rosser has just witnessed the shocking murder of his dedicated partner by a mysterious assailant. As he investigates the shooter’s identity, he uncovers a vast conspiracy that has a choke-hold on the city in this thrilling journey through the tangled streets of Los Angeles and the corrupt bureaucracy of the LAPD.

The Small Victories
67%

The Small Victories(fr)

2023-03-01

Between her roles as mayor and teacher in the small village of Kerguen, Alice's days are very full. When an unexpected new student, 60-year-old Emile, finally decides to learn to read and write, her daily life threatens to become unmanageable. Especially since Alice will also have to save her village and her school...

Fantozzi 2000 - The Cloning
51%

Fantozzi 2000 - The Cloning(it)

1999-12-23

Ugo Fantozzi was resurrected from the company where he worked because of a crisis, how it will end?Tenth and final chapter of the film series of Fantozzi character.

Return of the Fly
61%

Return of the Fly(en)

1959-07-22

Fifteen years after his father's experiments with matter transmission fail, Philippe Delambre and his uncle François attempt to create a matter transmission device on their own. However, their experiments have disastrous results, turning Philippe into a horrible half-man, half-fly creature.

Darkman II: The Return of Durant
56%

Darkman II: The Return of Durant(en)

1995-07-11

Darkman and Durant return and they hate each other as much as ever. This time, Durant has plans to take over the city's drug trade using high-tech weaponry. Darkman must step in and try to stop Durant once and for all.

Open Season
59%

Open Season(fr)

2023-12-20

Flanked by their two children, Simon and Adélaïde decide, like many Parisians today, to leave their two-room apartment for a quieter and more comfortable life in the country. They are seduced by a house in the middle of nature: space, a vegetable garden, a wood adjoining their garden and above all villagers who welcome them with open arms. A dream come true! But the young couple was soon to be disillusioned: the wood was actually a hunting ground for big game! Although the hunters are friendly, they are not willing to give up their territory, making Simon and Adélaïde's dream of the countryside a living hell. But true to their reputation, our Parisians are not going to let them do it.

Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis
52%

Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis(en)

2005-10-15

In an attempt to rescue their friend from an evil corporation, a group of teenagers end up releasing a horde of bloodthirsty zombies.

School of Thieves 2
53%

School of Thieves 2(it)

1987-09-22

In this second episode Dalmazio and Egisto come, respectively, from the prison and the insane asylum. They risk a second arrest for their awkwardness so they return from their "uncle" who is willing to help them.

The Return
68%

The Return(en)

2003-12-30

A former alcoholic returns home after ten years in prison for the murder of her husband. As her recollection of the murder returns, things take a different turn.

The Quack
75%

The Quack(pl)

1982-04-12

A famous surgeon is beaten by drunken bullies, loses his memory and cannot recollect who he was before. He gets to a village, lives in a not so well to do family and becomes the Quack - he slowly regains his talent for medicine and saves the lives of several village patients.

National Family
67%

National Family(es)

2023-12-28

Don Poli, the patriarch of a family embedded in politics, faces the change of party in his state - after a hundred years in power - losing all his privileges. Humiliated and angry, he threatens to disinherit his family and leave to rebuild his life. This forces his children (Kippy, Ramses and Belén) to take extreme measures to ensure their future, causing everything that could go wrong to turn out worse.

The Return of Swamp Thing
55%

The Return of Swamp Thing(en)

1989-05-11

The Swamp Thing returns to battle the evil Dr. Arcane, who has a new science lab full of creatures transformed by genetic mutation, and chooses Heather Locklear as his new object of affection.

Bonanza: The Return
65%

Bonanza: The Return(en)

1993-11-24

A man with a grudge against the late Little Joe seeks revenge on the Cartwrights and attempts to take over the Ponderosa.