Capharnaüm
2018 / 126m - Lebanon
Drama
3.0*/5.0*
Capernaum poster

Watches

August 01, 2021

3.0*/5.0*

It's certainly not hard to see why this is such a popular film. A harrowing drama about a young boy living in very dire circumstances always scores well with critics and audiences alike. It's not unlike Koreeda's Nobody Knows, only the circumstances in which the lead character has to survive are that much bleaker.

Zain is a young kid who does his best to bring in some money for his family. He takes special care of his sister Sahar, but he can't prevent her from being given away once she has her first period. Zain refuses to stay with his family any longer, and he ventures off into the world all by himself.

Zain's performance is splendid, the cinematography is gripping and surprisingly stylish, the soundtrack is solid too. The drama's a little predictable and I wouldn't have minded a slightly shorter runtime, but Labaki stays clear from excessive sentimentality, which wasn't an easy thing to do considering the themes of this film. A solid film.