Israeli film relives Lebanon war from inside tank

By Silvia Aloisi

VENICE (Reuters) - A new film by Israeli director Samuel Maoz draws on his memories as a young soldier in the 1982 Lebanon war, powerfully rendering fear and claustrophobia by shooting most of the action from inside a tank.

So harrowing was his experience as a 20-year-old conscript in the conflict that it took Maoz 25 years to muster the strength to write "Lebanon", which has its world premiere at the Venice film festival on Tuesday.

The movie follows four inexperienced soldiers inside a tank dispatched to "mop up" enemies in a Lebanese town that has already been bombarded by the Israeli Air Force.

What seems a routine mission quickly spirals out of control and turns into a death trap as the tank breaks down and loses its way in hostile territory.

Packed with tension and graphic scenes that can be difficult to watch, the film thrusts the audience onto the battlefield by shooting the action almost entirely from inside the tank and through the cross hairs of the gunner's lens.

"This is not a movie that makes you think 'I've just been to a movie'. This is a movie that makes you feel like you've been to war," said Yoav Donat, who in the film relives the director's role in the war manning the tank's cannon.

"Lebanon" comes one year after Ari Folman's animated documentary "Waltz With Bashir", which also explored the horrors of the 1982 conflict from the point of view of Israeli soldiers.

Maoz, who calls that war "our Vietnam", said that unlike in previous conflicts fought by Israel, in Lebanon the "game rules" -- clearly identified armies and targets -- did not apply.