Capernaum: Stadt der Hoffnung

To all the people who said this is a shameful representations of Syrians, you would know if you paid attention to the movie that the boy snd his family are actually Lebanese. Stop trying to bring attention to issues that are not even there in the first place. The movie is beautifully filmed and Labaki managed to capture so many issues present in our society (I say this as a Lebanese myself) in such a brilliant way.

OMG. Zain and Yonas are movie miracles. The director succeeded in crafting them into natural actors. And the story ..... flowing like a strong current that carries you helplessly you can't do nothing but let go of everything. And Zain, how his energy infiltrated my being, I realized that I smiled when he also finally smiled at the end, that through the movie I became him. He is magic!

This is what you call art. This is not just a movie, this is a story of the hardships of life told from the eyes of a beautiful boy.

Nadine Labaki out did herself by portraying the reality that most countries are going through in this time and age.

Do not believe the negative reviews. This is not at all about refugees, they do not even cover this topic in the movie. This is about survival in the toughest and most heartbreaking of situations.

This movie should be on everybody's watch list. It is tough at times, but that's life these days.

Watch it for the sake of the children like Zain.

This is not a documentary, yet it may very well have been. It does feel a lot like one. And because of that, which includes a pace and a mood that some may not like that much, it may or may not be your cup of tea. The family problems and issues are so direct and so obnoxious at times, that you may feel annoyed. This is by design. Depending on your level of empathy, you will of course have different reactions to a crying baby for example.

This is not a judging tool and we are all different in many ways, which in general is a good thing. But this is also why we'll react differently to certain things and it's ok. It would be bad if all liked the same things and would not leave any room for discussions - which hopefully are not stretching into fights. Because whether you think this is a masterpiece (and there are indications of that here, thorough throughout, grim, dark, but taken directly from life - the drama and all that) or think this is not worth a minute of your time ... doesn't mean you're more right than anyone not believing what you believe.

It's quite the harrowing and draining watching experience. So not an easy watch (not just because of babies crying, but generally what happens to kids - not just physically but mentally and so forth) ... does this sound like something you want to watch?

Zain Al Rafeea is a terrific revelation in this powerful and profoundly devastating look at the miserable existence of a poor child who, like many others, deserved so much more from life - and I'm pretty sure his eyes of infinite sadness will haunt me for the rest of my life after this.