(spoiler free)
Amongst this years Academy Award nominees for Best Foreign Language Film was Lebanese drama ‘Capernaum’. The prize eventually went to Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Roma’, which was always the favourite to take home the award. With its official UK cinema release arriving after the Oscar Night broadcast audiences finally have a chance to experience Director Nadine Labaki’s Academy Award nominated film on the big screen.
The film follows a young boy named Zain who lives with his family in the slums of Beirut, the story begins with him and his family in court, but on opposing sides. From this point on the story reverts back to before this moment portraying the sequence of events that brought Zain to this position. It’s an incredible narrative that tells the story of those without their own voices. It’s quite the combination of tones too, in one moment it can showcase truly heartbreaking sequences of child abuse and in the next it can feature such pure and joyous humour leaving you in tears of laughter. This combination of tones is remarkable with no element undermining the other but instead complimenting whatever Labaki is trying to convey through her storytelling. It provides a glimpse into a culture and a specific group within that culture that many western audiences will have had little exposure to before and in doing so is insightful and carries with it an air of urgency that ensures the attention of its viewers.
Another quality that the film has that makes sure to maintain this attention is without a doubt the excellent performances of the cast. The leading man, Zain Al Rafeea is a cinematic force. His performance is reminiscent of Sunny Pawar’s work in ‘Lion’, Garth Davis’s feature debut. Rafeea’s ability is of such a high calibre and he carries the entire film on his teenage shoulders. His supporting cast are fantastic but it’s maybe the youngest member who’ll leave the biggest impression on viewers’ hearts. Rafeea and his youngest co-star Boluwatife Treasure Bankole have such a heartwarming chemistry that brings so much joy into this more often than not very dark narrative. This again shows Labaki’s skill for mixing tones, showing light in the darkness but never trying to cover it up or sugarcoat the seriousness of her subject matter. The film is long, and for some the running time may be a struggle however the length of the film gives it more power and allows its themes and performances to resonate more deeply with audiences.
What’s maybe most remarkable about ‘Capernaum’ though is its authenticity. As a viewer you truly feel like a fly on the wall observing the everyday lives of these characters. Furthermore, these characters don’t feel so, they feel real. That’s because they are though and Labaki brilliantly brings their stories to the screen giving them a world stage. This collaboration with her stunning cast results in a piece of world cinema destined to be a classic.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 9/10
Question: How do you rank the 91st Academy Awards Foreign Language nominees?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)
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