As a teen-ager, all I knew about war was that I didn't want to go to Vietnam to fight in one. Rami Doueiri, Mohamad Chamas. It took 14 years before a peace agreement could be achieved, but Doueiri left in 1983 to study film in the United States.
Violent incidents take place, to be sure.
A confrontation with a Muslim militiaman threatens to escalate into catastrophe. The stress of living in a place where all semblances of order are collapsing takes a particular toll on the parents of the young man on whom the film centers. Yet boys will be boys, even in time of war. Yet neither we nor the protagonists can ignore the effects of the war. Omar complains because his parents are going fundamentalist on him, threatening to prohibit movies and rock music.