CAPERNAUM

CAPERNAUM (CAPHARNAÜM) 2018
Lebanon | DCP, Color, 120' | Arabic
Director: Nadine Labaki
Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole

Although addressing very different topics, Nadine Labaki’s films all focus on themes such as the diverse aspects of life in Lebanon, the unfairness of life, and economic inequality. This time, she returns with a touching film telling the story of 12-year-old Zain who sues his family for bringing him into this world. No one knows his exact age because they couldn’t even get him a birth certificate. Having no ID, he cannot attend school, nor be admitted in a hospital. Zain struggles to survive, working in the deprived neighborhoods of Lebanon. When his 11-year-old sister is sold to the man he works for, he loses his patience. Featuring an almost entirely nonprofessional cast of performers, the film gives the viewer a sense of reality while also creating a fairy tale-like atmosphere.