Heritages is an amazing work of art. It embodies all the emotions, exciting and painful, that accompany every Lebanese leaving his country. This work made me tear up and laugh many times during the movie. While I may not be the best judge of cinematic techniques, it is definitely a movie that speaks to all hearts, especially those that left their country. Philip Araktingi made me think about going back to live in Lebanon. He reignited the belief in the Lebanese people and country as one day making it in the world. It reached to every aspect of a Lebanese life throughout its life stages: childhood through adulthood. It speaks to all of us. It is highly recommended if you are Lebanese and like the fact that you are Lebanese.
9 Reviews
Parallel lives
dalalfarah29 December 2020
I very much enjoyed watching Heritages and my rating is based on how much it touched my soul and I could relate to many of the stories.
I liked the little highlight on the parallel lives with the director's ancestors.
The personal stories told about the Lebanese civil war came across as unbiased and sharing them with his kids was a good idea I thought. I find a large number of the young generation have little knowledge about what went on and the Lebanese history books don't mention this period at all.
Catharsis of a collective memory
sarahhowayek9 January 2021
It is with an ultimate honesty and beauty, that Aractangi delivered the roots of his repetitive expatriation along with an exquisite and objective description of historical Lebanese events.
Heritages touches the soul in an unique way, out of the box script, that I definitely recommend.
Absolutely fascinating and moving
suzettezablit28 October 2020
First of all, if you have not lived through the civil war, tasted its wrath and experienced so much of what the director presents and describes throughout the movie, you are in no position to rate it. Everything portrayed is accurate and quite moving, transporting you back to the best years of our lives. Yes, we lived in the war, we struggled, we fought, we persevered and then we showed our kids what it was like to be born and raised in the most beautiful country on earth. The views, the brief historical scenes, the narration will bring you tears, laughter, smiles and a immense feeling of pride. It is produced with taste, it is real and truly touching. Thank you Philippe and family for keeping our heritage alive.
Speaks to the heart!
sadeer1129 November 2020
Came across this movie on netflix.
This film dissects a transgenerational problem that, by now, has become a defining factor of eastern mediterranean/ levantine identities:
Displacement and its effect on identity.
Not only is the theme very relevant to the Lebanon of today, but also the manner with which it treats the topic. To be genuine, eager to discover the past, and full of energy to learn and rebuild the country we dream of!
SPECIAL MOVIE - MUST WATCH IT
nambret23 January 2021
A deep journey in the Lebanese story through the eyes, the memories and the emotions of a family and its generations. Nostalgic, emotional and so attached to Life, the movie and the regisseur express the same spirit that I breath everytime I step in this crazy land called Lebanon. The movie speaks to you as if you were part of the family, an intimate storytelling that combines "theater fiction" and reportage, a wire between past, present and future of a family and of a nation, an attempt to face up the wounds and to heal them with courage and sensitivity . I loved it and I highly recommend it, thamks to the regisseur!
Poorly conceived, poorly executed.
boycottmsqrd19 October 2015
This "film" is weighed down by an unremarkable premise, a poor structure, cheap green screen sequences, and overall amateur directing -- it's shocking to me that this director has managed to finance his films given the lack of relevance to a contemporary Lebanese or worldwide audience. Mimics the countless Lebanese student films that are made every year, but ultimately results in self-indulgent, schmaltzy storytelling that lacks any soul or sheds light on anything new. A hackneyed approach to low-quality "documentary" films that earn Arab cinema its unfortunate reputation.
If you're interested in how one bourgeois Turkish family ended up in Lebanon, then France, perhaps you'll find it a little interesting. However, considering the tens of millions of Lebanese who have left their homeland, there is absolutely nothing interesting, engaging, or film-worthy about this particular film. There are incredible stories to tell. This simply isn't one of them.
If you're interested in how one bourgeois Turkish family ended up in Lebanon, then France, perhaps you'll find it a little interesting. However, considering the tens of millions of Lebanese who have left their homeland, there is absolutely nothing interesting, engaging, or film-worthy about this particular film. There are incredible stories to tell. This simply isn't one of them.
Borderline abusive to his kids
johnholmes-5870814 November 2020
It really takes a a special type of delusional and borderline abusive director/protagonist/father of three to subject his kids to this war storyline. There are some interesting historical aspects of this rich exiled family. The movie is an off-shoot of his other movie "Under the Bombs" where Philippe Aractingi returns to a Lebanon fresh out of a ceasefire to film, askin to a passerby taking photos of a recent car crash. It was not enough that France evacuated him and family at the taxpayer's cost, he must return to Lebanon days after the ceasefire. And coerce his wife to bring his kids from France where they are safe. And show the kids the horrors of war including bullet shells that he collected as a child hilmself. This man is dangerous.
Lebanese wars through generations; directing own experience
nalmahmoud-11 January 2021
NB: This film is very relatable to me having the same age as the director; lived the civil war in Lebanon until 1984 where I left to study in France; lived the war in 2006 with my four children while on vacation and we have been evacuated by the first French boat to Cyprus. Therefore, every part of this film means alot to me.
Great flashback over 30 years earlier where director show his own experience of wars in Lebanon. Read about it in school, listened to his parents about previous wars, lived the civil war in 1975 and then the 2006. The best way to describe this film is "Art" instead of documentary. The director bring us on a journey of emotions and discoveries where individual, family and history play central stage. Leveraging the family, resemblences, shooting techniques, and mixing past with today play great deal of creation. The protagonist act by engaging others like mother, wife, children, and neighbours faced with the love of two countries.
Recommend to everyone looking for something different.
Great flashback over 30 years earlier where director show his own experience of wars in Lebanon. Read about it in school, listened to his parents about previous wars, lived the civil war in 1975 and then the 2006. The best way to describe this film is "Art" instead of documentary. The director bring us on a journey of emotions and discoveries where individual, family and history play central stage. Leveraging the family, resemblences, shooting techniques, and mixing past with today play great deal of creation. The protagonist act by engaging others like mother, wife, children, and neighbours faced with the love of two countries.
Recommend to everyone looking for something different.
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