Review: Capharnaüm (2018)

Directed by Nadine Labaki

Starring: Zain Al Rafeea

The plot follows Zain El Hajj a 12-year-old living in the slums of Beirut. The film is told in flashback format, focusing on Zain's life and leading to his attempt to sue his parents for child neglect.

After months of waiting, I've finally seen Lebanon's entry for Best Foreign Film for this year's Academy Awards. As expected, this film was phenomenal, and definitely deserved all the praise it received.

The plot is simple and very engaging, as it follows the court case between Zain and his parents. As explained in the plot synopsis, the structure the story was conveyed in, was shown in flashbacks. The plot overall had everything. It was depressing, inspiring, heartbreaking, and had it's funny moments. It was never boring to watch, and was enjoyable throughout with it's smooth pacing. The story while fictional, was really realistic that tackles a lot of messages and themes that do exist in the world, as well as in Lebanon, such as child poverty and the Syrian refugee crisis. This added a further sense of meaning and purpose to the film, as well as showcasing awareness to these issues. The direction was fantastic by Nadine Labaki, who I absolutely admire, for speaking up for the children out there who suffer from poverty. The acting was phenomenally and realistically done by all of the cast, especially Zain. Zain, actually is a Syrian refugee living in Lebanon. I also admire and agree with the decision that Labaki took, to not cast actors. This decision made the performances much more realistic, and the end result much more heartbreaking. This film brought a tear to my eye, just from how real it was, and how emotionally invested I was to what seemed like real people, and not characters written for a film.

The film was beautifully shot by Christopher Aoun, and I love the indie look to the film, making it look more like a documentary then it is a film. The music done by Khaled Mouzanar, really fit the tone and was really touching.

The film definitely deserves all the nominations and awards it has received, including being nominated for the Palme d'Or, as well as winning the Jury Prize at Cannes. It is a pity, that it did not win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, but those films nominated were all really good, and every one of those films nominated, absolutely deserved it (Which I can't say for some other films *cough* Black Panther *cough*). One thing I can say for sure, is that last year was a phenomenal year for foreign films.

In conclusion, a masterpiece of a film that highlights and tackles numerous issues in society, especially that of child poverty. This film was crafted with so much heart and meaning, and will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. This is a film that everyone must watch, and it is definitely one of greatest films of 2018.

My rating: 10/10

#FilmReview #CTRecommended #2019