is quite an ambitious film.......... It's a bittersweet comedy drama about sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians in a rural Lebanese mountain village. It's star, writer and director,.(the statuesque
Nadine Labaki- who by the way made the delightful Caramel) tells the story from the point of view of the village women (from both religious factions) who band together with the increasing difficult objective of preventing the village men folk from descending into violence as a result of an increase of sectarian atrocities around the country, and the resulting farce ( which includes an unlikely arrival of six Russian strippers) is suitably amusing and conscience pricking in equal amounts.
There is a a couple of emotionally charged scenes from Labaki ( who plays the village cafe owner) some odd semi musical set pieces ( between her Christian character and a hunky Muslim painter (Julian Farhat) and plenty of not so subtle underlining that it is always the women in the conflicts of this world that have to deal with the fallout reality of violence and hatred
8/10I have not made the effort to go to the cinema for a while.... it's nice to get back in the swing so to speak
Sounds like an interesting film John. What these woman need is a little power and just maybe these stupid conflicts wouldn't get started in the first place....by MEN!! Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteSounds like something I would like to see. I, also, also have not been going to the movies as often as I used to attend. It is so difficult to find a good movie with a story and no "blow everybody up" theme.
ReplyDeleteJim's got it!
ReplyDeleteIs it on general release? or do you have a really good local cinema? the film looks fabulous.......although I hate going to the pics because of the noise.. people eating/coughing/whatever and putting your life in your hands if you try to ask them to be quiet.
ReplyDeleteLibby,
DeleteI am very lucky as only 20 minutes away is situated a national theatre (Theatre Clwyd)...The theatre has a small cinema which mainly plays arthouse films (alas only one a day!)it is really the only place in the whole of north wales that provides this service. without it I would have been in lala land
Sounds powerful. I lived in Northern Israel in my twenties. I've seen Jews, Muslims, Christians & Drews living side by side seemingly in harmony though the Israeli soldiers were abundant & armed. I travelled the whole country several times & never felt threatened. Makes me so sad this can't become a constant way of living together but so complicated to ever resolve.
ReplyDeleteI live in a matriarchal society. Marcia tells me what to do, how to do it and when. I Just do as I am told.
ReplyDeleteAin't that always the way
ReplyDeleteSounds fascinating as a film...I'd love to see it
ReplyDelete