Capernaum
1 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
After running away from his negligent parents, committing a violent crime and being sentenced to five years in jail, a hardened, streetwise 12-year-old Lebanese boy sues his parents in protest of the life they have given him.
What critics thought
Nadine Labaki's portrait of a child navigating Beirut's margins draws strong audience devotion and broadly favorable critical notice, but critics split sharply on whether its unrelenting hardship constitutes genuine drama or emotional manipulation. The lead performance is almost universally singled out, while the film's melodramatic scaffolding is precisely where opinions divide.
“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 humor that people hold onto even in moments of the greatest desperation”
A. O. Scott·The New York Times
“a sadness pile that confuses nonstop hardship for drama, begging for our tears at every moment”
A.A. Dowd·The A.V. Club
“an astonishing work of social-realism that's diluted (and ultimately defeated) by an array of severe miscalculations”
David Ehrlich·IndieWire
“a startling, unforgettable presence”
Emily Yoshida·Vulture.com
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorNadine Labaki
StarringZain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shifera, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawsar Al Haddad, Fadi Kamel Yousef
ComposerKhaled Mouzanar
Capernaum
1 Oscar Nominations
After running away from his negligent parents, committing a violent crime and being sentenced to five years in jail, a hardened, streetwise 12-year-old Lebanese boy sues his parents in protest of the life they have given him.
What critics thought
Nadine Labaki's portrait of a child navigating Beirut's margins draws strong audience devotion and broadly favorable critical notice, but critics split sharply on whether its unrelenting hardship constitutes genuine drama or emotional manipulation. The lead performance is almost universally singled out, while the film's melodramatic scaffolding is precisely where opinions divide.
“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 humor that people hold onto even in moments of the greatest desperation”
A. O. Scott·The New York Times
“a sadness pile that confuses nonstop hardship for drama, begging for our tears at every moment”
A.A. Dowd·The A.V. Club
“an astonishing work of social-realism that's diluted (and ultimately defeated) by an array of severe miscalculations”
David Ehrlich·IndieWire
“a startling, unforgettable presence”
Emily Yoshida·Vulture.com
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorNadine Labaki
StarringZain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shifera, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawsar Al Haddad, Fadi Kamel Yousef
ComposerKhaled Mouzanar
Rent/Purchase