Capharnaüm AKA Capernaum

Capharnaüm AKA Capernaum (8.5/10)

Genre: Drama

Director: Nadine Labaki

Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Nadine Labaki

Country: Lebanon

Language: Arabic | Amharic

Year: 2018

Well, it's been a while since I've posted a movie, but with everything that's going around - what better time to do? In hindsight, the lockdown has allowed striking off a few films from my neverending list. Capharnaüm is a beautifully crafted film from Lebanon directed by Nadine Labaki. The film grabbed a nomination for the Best Foreign Film at the 91st Academy Awards and made quite a buzz in the festival circuits while becoming the highest-grossing film from the Middle East. So, is it worth it? The answer is undoubtedly a big YES. 

I was hooked to it right from the first scene and boy what a ride it was after that. The story is about the journey of a 12-year-old kid who accuses his parents of ruining his childhood. The casting is superficially brilliant. The child actors did an excellent job, especially Zain Al Rafeea, as I became a fan of this boy after watching the film. There are only a few rare child performances that leave a lasting impression on your mind, and Zain's (the name of his character in the film is also Zain) performance was certainly the best among the lot. The other kid Boluwatife Treasure Bankole was only an infant who can't even speak, but his performance spoke highly of him. 

The way the film was shot made it look so realistic and lifelike. The sequences with the children were so beautifully captured that you can't even think that they were acting. I'm pretty sure the entire crew had a lot of patience during filming as they might have devoted a lot of time to make it seem natural. I suppose most of the scenes with the children were just impromptu takes on the set rather than following directions.

Nadine Labaki who not only directed but also co-wrote the film and acted in it did a fabulous job. She deserves a lot of praise because it is not easy to pull a film like this, which is simple yet difficult to execute. The dialogues were very well written and were simply hilarious at times The cinematography, sound, and editing were at par with the overall execution of the film. Capharnaüm is a must-watch for those who haven't seen it yet.