Adolescente, sucre d'amour

A SUSPENDED LIFE was a pleasure to watch. The camera follows (often ala François Truffaut) the activities of Samar -- a slender, feminine, beautiful young teenager. Her attractive essence is in striking contrast to the ruins and violence around her as she navigates war-torn Beirut. Samar tries to be a good daughter to her family. She tries to help her younger friends and keep them safe. She finds her first romantic love.

Hala Bassam does a fine job as Samar. The other supporting characters have plenty of depth to keep them interesting.

The music works well with the visuals -- and the visuals are sometimes stylish, sometimes fanciful, but always amazing.

The ending is less than pleasing, but as the director takes poetic liberties from time to time, perhaps the viewer should not take the ending at face value. Rank = 9. Highly recommended.