Lebanon’s submission for Oscar consideration is a taut drama, set in contemporary Beirut, concerning a personal conflict that mushrooms into a media circus. Yasser (Kamel El Basha– Best Actor, Venice Film Festival) is a Palestinian refugee working as a handyman for building code violations. When Lebanese Christian Tony (Adel Karam) lashes out and destroys his repairs, a vulgarity sparks a racially charged feud that eventually ends up in court and exacerbates the already-high tensions between the Muslim and Christian groups in Lebanon’s Arab community. Both Yasser and Tony feel overwhelmed by the escalation of what, for each, is simply a matter of honor. Rated R. In Arabic with English subtitles. Writers: Ziad Doueiri, Joëlle Touma. Director: Ziad Doueiri. (Lebanon 2017) 112 min.