CARAMEL

Director: Nadine Labaki
Cast: Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisèle Aouad, Adel Karam, Sihame Haddad
Run Time: 95 minutes
Country: Lebanon/France
Language: French, Arabic with English subtitles
Rating: PG

CARAMEL, a hit at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, also triumphed at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival,® where it wowed audiences as a Gala Presentation. Nadine Labaki‘s directorial debut truly manages to stir the senses and emotions in this enchanting story, set in and around a Beirut beauty parlor.  

Layale, (Nadine Labaki, who also directed the film) is the owner and lifeblood of the salon. We soon learn just how complex her life is as we discover she is having an affair with a married man with whom she is hopelessly in love. While Layale awaits the secret call of her lover, Nisrine (Yasmine Al Masri), a spirited bombshell, is on the verge of marrying a conservative Muslim. Not only must she deal with the upcoming wedding, but also reckon with the fact that her fiancé might discover a secret he won‘t like on their wedding night. Meanwhile, Jamale, (Gisèle Aouad), is an aging actress and client struggling to embrace her body as she desperately tries to hold back the hands of time. Rima, (Joanna Moukarzel), hardworking and rough around the edges, has her anomalous desires awak-ened when her ideal client walks through the door. Nearby, seamstress Rose (Sihame Haddad) stifles her desire by deflecting the attentions of a long awaited gentleman suitor as she cares for her elder sister.  

The ensemble cast on display here has such raw charisma that the film takes on an almost improvisatory quality; the touching and poignant performances generate enormous warmth and wit.  What makes CARAMEL so unique is the fact that it chooses to look past the war and politics in Beirut to the eternal truths of love and passion. These realistic portrayals manage to remind us of our sisters, mothers and girlfriends by embodying grace and strength simultaneously. Although we may not have lived these characters‘ lives, we know their struggles all too well. Each scene is carefully crafted so as to allow the audience to experience each moment of their pain, joy and sorrow. In the end we are reminded of what makes the women we know and love so very, very special.

"A Lebanese version of Steel Magnolias--a delightful valentine to women of a particular time and place." - Film Journal International

Reviews: www.metacritic.com/film/titles/caramel