Director : Nadine Labaki
Country : Lebanon
Release Date : 2018
Duration : 126 mins
Language : Arabic and Amharic
Subtitles : Yes
SHORT-LISTED : BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM AT 2019 OSCARS
WINNER : JURY PRIZE AT 2018 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
Capernaum (meaning ‘chaos’ in Arabic) tells the story of Zain, a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the ‘crime’ of giving him life. The film follows Zain as he journeys from gutsy, streetwise child to hardened 12-year-old ‘adult’ fleeing his negligent parents, surviving through his wits on the streets, where he meets Ethiopian migrant-worker Rahil, who provides him with shelter and food, as Zain takes care of her baby son Yonas in return. Zain later gets jailed for committing a violent crime, and finally seeks justice in a courtroom.
“Naturalism meets melodrama in this harrowing, hectic tale of a lost boy’s adventures in the slums and shantytowns of Beirut … Labaki refuses to lose sight of the exuberance, grit and humour that people hold onto even in moments of the greatest desperation.” (A.O. Scott – The New York Times)