AllMovie

A girl on the edge of adulthood confronts crises with her family and friends in this drama. In 1983, war is tearing through Beirut, but that is of little concern to 12-year-old Lina (Marianne Feghali), who has problems to contend with at home. Lina's father, Fouad (Aouni Kawass), is addicted to gambling, an obsession that is tearing apart his marriage to Therese (Carmen Lebbos). Lina's family also happens to live in the same apartment building as her Aunt Yvonne (Laudi Arbid-Nasr); Aunt Yvonne is wealthy, but she's tired of bailing out Fouad and refuses to lend the family another cent, despite their precarious circumstances. And in a neighborhood feeling the impact of the war, one of Lina's only friends is Siham (Rawia Elchab), a young woman who works as Aunt Yvonne's maid. Lina and Siham are all but inseparable, but when Lina learns that her friend has decided to leave Beirut behind to start a new life, she responds in an unexpected manner. Dans les Champs de Bataille was the first feature film from Danielle Arbid, a writer and director who was born in raised in Lebanon before moving to France when she was a teenager.