VIFF 2009 | The One Man Village at Schema : more than ethnic

VIFF 2009 | The One Man Village

The One Man Village
Lebanon, 2008, 86min
DIR: Simon El Habre

The One Man Village tells the story of the small but unfortunately located Lebanese village of Ain al-Halazoun. Filmmaker Simon El Habre follows his farmer uncle Semaan over the course of one year. Being geographically in the middle of several larger villages, many of the residents of Ain al-Halazoun were displaced by the 15-year civil war and most have built lives elsewhere. But Semaan actually came back to the village of his birth after the war to build a simpler life for himself - one where he could own cows. Semaan introduces his cows to the camera by name, outlining their personalities. He chops wood for the stove.

Occassionally, a sideways reference to the war will emerge during the filmmaker's conversations with his uncle but he's not particularly forthcoming. Still, the interviews have the sort of casual intimacy that family can have when talking. We meet other villagers and see more of the village - and the destruction left by so many years of conflict and human attrition. Eventually, El Habre is able to get his uncle to open up about his experience of the war, and watching both of his parents die during that time. What begins as a deliberately paced portrait of a solitary farmer's quotidien existence becomes a touching meditation on the effects of war on everyday people. Highly recommended.

Winner, Best International Documentary, Hot Docs 2009.

Schema Magazine's coverage of VIFF 2009 is sponsored by the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival