The Insult

In Beirut, a minor dispute between two men spirals into a legal battle with national consequences. Tony, a Lebanese Christian mechanic, and Yasser, a Palestinian refugee working as a construction foreman, clash over water dripping from a balcony drain onto Yasser's head. What begins as an exchange of insults escalates when Tony, unwilling to accept an apology, files a complaint. The case moves through the courts, drawing in lawyers and family members on both sides, and eventually attracts media attention that stirs tensions between Lebanese Christians and Palestinian refugees.

Ziad Doueiri directed and co-wrote the film with Joelle Touma. It followed his 2012 feature The Attack as the second film in his directing career. Adel Karam plays Tony Hanna and Kamel ElBasha plays Yasser Abdallah Salameh, with supporting roles from Diamand Abou Abboud, Rita Hayek, Christine Choueiri and Talal Jurdi. The production, a Lebanese-French co-production, had a budget of 3 million USD.

On IMDb the film holds a rating of 7.6 from around 19,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.5 from roughly 492 votes. A critics' rating of 7.4 from 116 reviews places it close to the audience scores. Its worldwide box office of 1 million USD was below its production budget. Running 112 minutes, the film blends crime and drama in its portrayal of a personal quarrel that becomes a public confrontation.