The Lebanese movie CAPERNAUM (2018), with its subtitle translation being “Chaos,” blew me away. I can’t remember the last time I watched more riveting, powerful acting than what twelve-year-old (now aged sixteen) Syrian refugee, Zain Al Rafeea, delivers here. Taking place in the slums of Beirut, the story focuses on a streetwise, impoverished boy who tries to protect his eleven-year-old sister from being married off to their family’s landlord. Surrounded by squalor and pain, Zain (also the name of the main character) bravely faces what life throws at him. Filmed in documentary, hand-held camera style, the sense of intimacy and immediacy is constant. I highly recommend this phenomenal film.
Mini Movie Review: CAPERNAUM
Published by The Practical, Fanciful Pagan
I'm gay, married, Pagan, and Progressive-minded from California, raised by hippie intellectuals. I relocated to Massachusetts for graduate school and never moved back to the Left Coast. My day job is that of psychotherapist in private practice, a profession I love with all my heart and a dream fully realized that I'd had since fifteen years of age. These are my rantings, reviews, and reflections. If nothing else, I hope you find something worth reading here and leave the rest. View all posts by The Practical, Fanciful Pagan
Published
The Practical, Fanciful Pagan 
The heart, soul, and strength this young boy displayed in light of his own upbringing were quite amazing to behold. Thank you for sharing this wonderful film that was captivating from the get-go.
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You are most welcome! I guessed that you would like the movie.
For another good, overcoming hardship movie– albeit comparatively less harrowing than CAPERNAUM– I recommend the wonderful biopic THE WHITE CROW (from 2019). It’s about the early life of ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev up until his defection from the Soviet Union in 1961. It’s very well-done.
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