Little Wars The author reflects on his own connection to a 1982 film about Lebanon’s civil war that continues to resonate today.
The first time we see Nabil Srour, the war photographer, chronic liar, and part-time drug dealer affectionately known as Abou el Nobol, he is running across sniper fire in Beirut to get American journalist Mitch Dubin “the shot he needs.” Nabil (played by Nabil Ismaïl) is one of three main characters in
Little Wars (1982), by Lebanese filmmaker Maroun Bagdadi (currently available for streaming on Netflix). Bagdadi is perhaps Lebanon’s best-known director, a cinematic chronicler of the nation’s debilitating civil war (1975–1990) who committed himself to the subject in all of his five features. In effect, Bagdadi’s filmic project