Documentary backdrop image for Absence (1990)

Documentary backdrop image for Absence (1990)

199045 minPGdocumentary

Conflict Historical Events

Absence

199045 minPGdocumentary

Four individuals recount their experiences of losing friends and relatives during wartime in different regions of Lebanon.

Conflict Historical Events

Genres

Director

Synopsis

Four individuals recount their experiences of losing friends and relatives during wartime in different regions of Lebanon.

People

Mohamed Soueid

Mohamed Soueiddirector

Synopsis

In Lebanon, four individuals recount their experiences of loss during wartime. Each person shares their story from a different region, reflecting on the friends and relatives they have lost. The documentary poses the question of whether it is possible to discuss death amid conflict. Through personal narratives, it captures the emotional weight of grief in a country marked by violence. The film runs for 45 minutes and was released in 1990.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians (2024)

A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians

Personal accounts from Israelis and Palestinians reveal the devastating impact of the Oct. 7 attacks and the ongoing conflict, highlighting a cycle of violence and despair.

A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians

Hamas, Hezbollah And The Israel-Palestine War (2024)

Hamas, Hezbollah And The Israel-Palestine War

In Lebanon, over 250,000 Palestinian refugees, including young supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah, navigate the complexities of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Hamas, Hezbollah And The Israel-Palestine War

Lebanon After the War: Is Healing Possible? (2025)

Lebanon After the War: Is Healing Possible?

Lebanon grapples with the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut explosion, economic collapse, and political instability, as three young artists explore trauma and resilience.

Lebanon After the War: Is Healing Possible?

Readying for War - Lebanon (2007)

Readying for War - Lebanon

Hundreds of Palestinian fighters train in Lebanon's refugee camps, preparing for military operations against Israel amid ongoing regional tensions.

Readying for War - Lebanon

Israel-Hezbollah Conflict: Inside Lebanon's Perpetual Crisis (2025)

Israel-Hezbollah Conflict: Inside Lebanon's Perpetual Crisis

Hezbollah's activities amid rising tensions with Israel are examined through exclusive interviews and footage, highlighting Lebanon's ongoing crisis and its impact on the population.

Israel-Hezbollah Conflict: Inside Lebanon's Perpetual Crisis

War in Lebanon: Hezbollah, Israel, and the Fight for Sovereignty (2024)

War in Lebanon: Hezbollah, Israel, and the Fight for Sovereignty

150 bodies of Hezbollah fighters are returned by Israel in exchange for two Israeli soldiers during the conflict that began in 1984.

War in Lebanon: Hezbollah, Israel, and the Fight for Sovereignty

2,000 Terrorists: The Truth Behind Ariel Sharon's Uncertain Legacy (2014)

2,000 Terrorists: The Truth Behind Ariel Sharon's Uncertain Legacy

Ariel Sharon's legacy is examined through contrasting perspectives, focusing on his role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre and its lasting impact on the Palestinian community.

2,000 Terrorists: The Truth Behind Ariel Sharon's Uncertain Legacy

What conflict does to us - Recollections from the Iraq War (2024)

What conflict does to us - Recollections from the Iraq War

Around 2003, heavy air strikes in Iraq left many families without food, forcing them to share meager meals amid constant danger.

What conflict does to us - Recollections from the Iraq War

The aftermath of the Munich Olympic attack (2024)

The aftermath of the Munich Olympic attack

Four women share their stories of loss after the Munich Olympics terrorist attack in 1972.

The aftermath of the Munich Olympic attack

Disabled in a war zone: the most vulnerable victims of the Syrian war (2018)

Disabled in a war zone: the most vulnerable victims of the Syrian war

In northern Lebanon, reporter Giles Duley highlights the plight of disabled children affected by the Syrian war, showcasing their struggles and vulnerabilities.

Disabled in a war zone: the most vulnerable victims of the Syrian war

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History (2019)

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History

The 1918 influenza pandemic killed more people worldwide than combat during World War One.

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi (2025)

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi

In ancient Greece, the Oracle of Delphi served as a pivotal religious site where priestesses delivered prophecies attributed to the god Apollo.

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi

Explore Absence

Browse more like this

A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians (2024)

A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians

Personal accounts from Israelis and Palestinians reveal the devastating impact of the Oct. 7 attacks and the ongoing conflict, highlighting a cycle of violence and despair.

A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians

No digital watch option in your country

The aftermath of the Munich Olympic attack (2024)

The aftermath of the Munich Olympic attack

Four women share their stories of loss after the Munich Olympics terrorist attack in 1972.

The aftermath of the Munich Olympic attack

No digital watch option in your country

Waltz with Bashir (2008)

Waltz with Bashir

2008•1h30m•★7.7TMDB

26 dogs are killed by soldiers during the 1982 Lebanon War, a memory that haunts a veteran and prompts Ari Folman to confront his own lost recollections.

Waltz with Bashir

Alone with War (2001)

Alone with War

2001•1h6m•★7.3TMDB

More than 15 years after the Lebanese Civil War ended, Beirut's residents still confront the emotional and psychological scars left by the conflict.

My First War (2008)

My First War

2008•1h22m•★6.8TMDB

A soldier drafted into the Second Lebanese War at age 28 uses his video camera to document the chaos and loss of life during the conflict.

Lebanon 1982 - X-ray of a massacre (2023)

Lebanon 1982 - X-ray of a massacre

2023•55m•★7.7TMDB

Five days of testimonies from executioners, victims, and witnesses reveal the complexities surrounding the 1982 Beirut massacre.

Lebanon 1982 - X-ray of a massacre

Lebanon: Bits and Pieces (1994)

Lebanon: Bits and Pieces

1994•1h•★9.0TMDB

After a seven year absence, Nakkas returns to Lebanon to record the dreams and disappointments of women affected by years of war.

Lebanon: Bits and Pieces

We Were Communists (2010)

We Were Communists

In post-civil war Lebanon, former communist party members discuss their ideological conflicts and how war affected their relationships and national identity.

We Were Communists

Lost in Lebanon (2017)

Lost in Lebanon

2017•1h20m•★8.0TMDB

One fifth of Lebanon's population consists of Syrians who face new visa laws that increase the risks of arrest, detention, and deportation.

Lost in Lebanon

Credits Included: A Video In Red And Green (1995)

Credits Included: A Video In Red And Green

1995•46m•★9.0TMDB

A 1987 US state department document invalidates US passports for travel to Lebanon, setting the stage for a portrayal of life in a war-torn country.

Credits Included: A Video In Red And Green

Lost Lives (2019)

Lost Lives

2019•1h33m•★6.0TMDB

3,636 individuals died as a result of the Northern Ireland Troubles, with their stories presented through voiceovers and archival footage in this adaptation.

My Paradise (2016)

My Paradise

A filmmaker returns to his hometown in Syria after 25 years to find out what happened to his old classmates following the war.

Image of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film (1998)

Image of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film

1998•1h28m•★7.6TMDB

Abraham Zapruder's footage of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963, is digitally remastered to reveal new details and its impact on public perception.

Image of an Assassination: A New Look at the Zapruder Film

Gaza: The Killing Zone (2003)

Gaza: The Killing Zone

Daily violence in the Gaza Strip escalates as Dispatches reporter Sandra Jordan and producer Rodrigo Vasquez document the dangerous conditions on the ground.

Gaza: The Killing Zone

Browse more by Mohamed Soueid

View all films →

Tango of Yearning (1998)

Tango of Yearning

1998

Civil War (2002)

Civil War

2002

Cinema Fouad (1993)

Cinema Fouad

1993

The Insomnia of A Serial Dreamer (2021)

The Insomnia of A Serial Dreamer

2021

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →