The film opens with a courtroom scene in which a young boy
is suing his parents for the crime of giving birth to him. We also learn that
the boy, Zain, has a previous conviction himself for stabbing somebody. What
follows is then a retelling of what led the child to this point, handcuffed and
standing in court facing his parents. The harsh conditions of his family life,
living in a small apartment building with his sisters, forced to go out
shoplifting and picking up prescription drugs illegally to later sell on. It is
a brutalising experience for the child who watches the atrocities around him
with a resigned scowl. His only real companion is his sister, eleven year old Sahar.
In one example of the horrific situation they are in, caught between religious
fundamentalism, war, and parents who are either oblivious or unable to alleviate
their suffering, Zain must help his sister by stealing sanitary products to
hide the fact she is now menstruating. In a final straw, she is sold to another
man in the town. Zain runs away from home and is taken in by another Ethiopian refugee,
Rahil, whose infant son he begins to take care of while she is at work.
The film is a heart-breaking portrayal of many aspects of
the refugee experience, touching on cultural and political issues, without making
any over statements about them. This is a world that many audience members will
be unfamiliar with, one of child abuse, extremism, people traffickers, crime
and extreme poverty. The film is directed by Nadine Labaki who also wrote the
screenplay along with Jihad Hojaily and Michelle Keserwany. “Capernaum” is a
film that overloads the senses with the sights and sounds of the city, taking
your right inside the world of the characters. The dusty backstreets and the
dingy apartments reveal a forgotten world where societal outcasts are forced to
dwell. The camera work is largely handheld, cutting occasionally to fantastic
aerial shots that show the sprawling chaos of the city from above. This helps
gives a sense of immediacy to the action. The script is very well written,
weaving together several strands expertly and raising important issues without ever
losing sight of its central characters. This is absolutely Zain’s story and while
he is a symbol of the refugee experience at large, he is nevertheless an
endearing and believable character in his own right. The actor, Zain Al Rafeea,
does an incredible job with some highly emotionally charged scenes. Likewise
Cedra Izam as Sahar and Farah Hasno as syrian refugee Maysoun. The other outstanding
performance is that of Yordanos Shiferaw who plays Rahil. Despite the bleak
story the film is not without moments of levity, even comedy, that help throw
into relief the almost overwhelming plight of these people.
“Capernaum” is an outstanding work that is bold and
engaging, throwing a light on an important issue while never stooping to melodrama.
The tragedy of the characters is entirely believable and made more poignant in
that it is avoidable. Telling the story through the eyes of a child gives a
fresh perspective and making it such a personal journey also helps convey the
collateral suffering that occurs following conflict. Absolutely worth a watch for
a masterclass in storytelling and film making that more than do justice to the
message.
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