Zozo

All four of my grandparents hail from Lebanon so this warm and engaging film really hit home with me. I was never able to take my grandparents back to Lebanon because the civil war was going on. This film makes it clear how horrible and wrenching that civil war was. Zozo is an 11 year old boy who lives with his parents and two siblings in an apartment in Beirut. Just as his family is able to flee Beirut tragedy strikes. Zozo finds solace in a talking chicken (trust me-- it works) and a young girlfriend. He finds peace and nurturing in Sweden with his beloved grandparents but is still in many ways an outcast. The film tells a beautiful, heartwarming story.

The plot is rather predictable and on the simplistic side, whether it's the accidental tragedy of Zozo's family, or his later cultural shock. The acting and cast are good. But I was especially spell bounded by the music and the photography of the film. The film looks low budget and didn't pretend to be otherwise. But it attempted to draw on its strength in the forgotten tragedy in Lebanon and the strong acting and cinematography. And movie succeeded for the most part IMHO. As I was watching the film, I couldn't help but thinking in the back of my head of the more recent tragedy in southern Lebanon, perhaps more death and destruction this time around? How many Zozo were created this time? Marx said that history repeats itself the first time is tragedy, the second time farce. To those who were unfortunate enough to be part of it, it always will be just tragedy.

The movie deals with the agony of a young Lebanese boy who witnesses the death of his family and is when he is finally sent to live in Sweden with his grandparents, finds himself out-casted in a foreign society.

Josef Fares, cleverly represents the Lebanse society living through a horrible situation. The characterization and narrative allow the audience to strongly connect with the film as it something that we as Lebanese feel deeply connected with, having being affected by the civil war in one way or another.

From the technical side, the cinematography and use of visual effects were very well done again, inviting the audience into the world of the film. As an aspiring Lebanese filmmaker, it gives me a great feeling to know that there are talented Lebanese filmmakers all over the whole who still believe and are devoted to developing the Lebanese film industry. I strongly applaud director Josef Fares and I look forward to watching more of his films.

An 11-year old Lebanese boy Zozo (Imad Creidi) moves to Sweden from his heavily bombed home country after a tragedy occurs in his family. In Sweden he is welcomed by his loving grandparents (Elias Gergi and Yasmine Awad) but adapting to a new environment and learning a new language aren't easy for the boy who still suffers from painful memories of his old life in Lebanon.

The first half of the film takes place in Lebanon, which the brownish, orange-tinted cinematography paints as hot but full of light. In the midst of the frequent violent incidents in the city, Zozo's family loves him and wishes to give him a better future abroad. After arriving in Sweden, the mood changes from dangerous to longing, partly due to the beautifully green and bright Swedish summer that highlights the contrast between the two countries. His grandfather's lovable antics help him to get over past traumas and lead to some comedic incidents, but a sense of loneliness lingers on and Zozo knows that there's more to life than the grandfather's simplistic teachings suggest.

Besides the realistic portrayal of Zozo's experiences at the Lebanese streets and the Swedish school, the movie spices things up by adding an extra layer of fantasy in the form of creations from Zozo's imagination. Be it a talking chicken, a God-like ball of light or an explosive reaction to school-bullies, the visualizations of Zozo's inner world provide interesting insight to his character and make the film more memorable than the average dramas about adapting to new life.

Zozo is director Josef Fares' first move into a more serious territory after the comedic Jalla! Jalla! and Kopps, and as such it succeeds effortlessly. The story is inspired by Fares' own experiences as a young immigrant in Sweden, and his insight on the subject produces an effective piece of cinema with well balanced tragic and comical aspects. Thanks to Imad Creidi's unforced performance as Zozo and the bubbling joie de vivre of his grandfather, the film can be recommended to anyone interested in immigration-related cinema, but the sense of being an outsider in a group should appeal to big audiences as well.

I have seen this amazing movie twice, the first time was on DVD and the second on cinema-theater which the all tickets cost are goes to collected for Lebanon support fund in State of Kuwait.

Zozo is the name of an innocent lebanese boy on the cusp of adolescence while his future and life are teetering on the brink of horrible destruction. actually he is too young to deal with the bloody Lebanese civil-war that is raging his country from the east to west!

So, and after his dreams & his hopes where destroyed, he is decide to travel to Sweden specially his Grandfather & Grandmother living there in peace.

and about the Film's fantastic fantasy it's as an breathing-space to audiences where watching an story's events of tragic & painful!! at this point specially I can confirm of this young director has really the competence for creating his line between the brilliant melodrama & the masterly comedy ! this is due to his talented-ways about blending the tragic's elements with the comedy's elements... without leaving his elements to interlacing for the calamitous melodrama or to sketchy comedy ... the film's way was convincible & will be ditto forever! So, the audiences will be at the end feels in happiness & in crying at the same time!

Well my readers, here & until this point must I stop the telling about the sadness & tragedy or fantasy & happiness elements in this amazing film!

Simply, we can consider this film ( Zozo ) is fully Lebanese, where 70% of it was shot mainly in lebanon, and 30% of it in Sweden. But even in Sweden the dialogue was in Lebanese too. Off course there is a little of dialogue in Swedish language ... but as I said we can consider this film is mainly Lebanese! from the director to the main actors they are Lebanese indeed not just acting and also through his main elements of events messages was in the lebanese circle even that was shot in Sweden...

This film is totally Different than ((Jala Jala)) this one is sad indeed, you can discovers his sadness between the elements. there are some senses inside this amazing film while you feel like crying!!

This young director been able to shown the true tragedy of his country civil-war! Josef Fares .. absolutely perfect & talented Director ... where crowned his early age as a big director!

I have seen his three films: Jalla! Jalla! (2000) , Kopps (2003) and Zozo (2005)

Until now (Zozo) is the best film of this young Lebanese-Swedish director Josef Fares.

at last, to "Kingdom of Sweden" I would like to say Thanks a lot for your great supports to appear this amazing film for us about that precious country on me!

MaximusQ8™