FEATURING a cast of amateurs whose lives are not so dissimilar to those of the characters they play, Capernaum paints a bleak picture of neglect, despair and relentless struggle in Lebanon.
In a courtroom we meet Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), an incarcerated lad of 12 bidding to sue his parents for the act of “giving him life”.
Under the glare of an intrigued media, the authorities have no choice but to listen to him.
Over the next couple of hours, we learn of Zain’s life leading up to that moment, as well as the circumstances in which millions of children sadly trundle through each day.
His parents have ceased to want or expect more, while his kid sister is about to be married off to their landlord’s son.
A falling-out at home leads him to abandon this bleak domestic set-up and take to the streets, where he seeks shelter with Ethiopian refugee Rahil and her baby son Yonas.
Soon trafficking, abusers, poverty and prostitution come snaking up through the cracks.
He lives a grim existence, let down by an uncaring system and oppressive traditions in a part of the world where compassion generally can be pretty thin on the ground. When Rahil goes missing, you watch through the gaps in your fingers.
This film has so much going for it. It won the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and got a standing ovation lasting 15 minutes.
It also has an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCES
Director Nadine Labaki shows great skill in cajoling incredible performances from her band of amateurs, especially in her lead.
Al Rafeea’s sleepy-eyed resignation really hits you in the heart.
There are a couple of problems. The court scenes that bookend the drama add little to it and feel unnecessary, tacked on to an already moving journey from A to B. More importantly, it is just SO bleak.
I can take a grim tale of hardship as much as the next privileged white male. But Capernaum gets lost in its constant attempts to wring tears from the audience. The layers of horror heaped upon Zain become so indelible, you become numb to the plight.
That is a terrible shame because this has so many things to say of real importance.
For most of any Western audience, I imagine, this will be their first detailed view of what happens at the other end of the boats we seem so intent on barring from our country.
This puts a human face to issues we take for granted – but resolutely refuses to offer any hope.
That works fine as a political statement but less so as a cinematic experience. I felt it needed to offer something more.
There are moments of tenderness, with Zain, Rahil and Yonas demonstrating in their tiny shared hut how family can take many forms.
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Yet those lighter notes are flattened, time and again, by that juggernaut of misery.
If we, as ignorant bystanders, can’t see how to help . . . well, how can we?
An important story, powerfully told but problematic at the same time. Worth watching? Definitely.
Capernaum 126 mins (15)
★★★★☆
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https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/capernaum-paints-a-gritty-insight-to-the-bleak-struggle-in-lebanon-with-incredible-amateur-performances/
News Photo Capernaum paints a gritty insight to the bleak struggle in Lebanon with incredible amateur performances
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