Capharnaüm - Wellington Film Society

Nadine Labaki, Lebanon 2018 131 mins HD M violence, offensive language, drug references

While this is unquestionably an issue film, it tackles its subject with intelligence and heart, abaki uses a trial to structure the film, though this isn’t a courtroom drama. Admittedly the case could probably only exist in cinema: Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), already serving a five-year sentence for stabbing someone, is suing his parents for giving him life. Approximately 12 years old (even his parents don’t know his exact age, and they never got a birth certificate), this pint-sized James Dean is a sensitive toughie simmering with righteous resentment. One glimpse at his troubled home life and it’s easy to understand why. Firmly in the tradition of great guttersnipe dramas, the film pays a considerable amount of attention to milieu, foregrounding the solidarity of children as they struggle to survive in an adult-made hell. Moments of humour offer just the right balance with the overall unforced pathos. Young Al Rafeea is a revelation as the swaggering, foul-mouthed Zain, combining the requisite traits of wounded sensitivity with seasoned resilience that somehow never feels clichéd.
- Jay Weissberg, Variety, 17 May 2018.