Cafarnao - Caos e miracoli

It's the missing question in the often heated debates about child poverty - I hear it all the time in my own country (UK) - has it risen? Should the government be doing more to help? How can a developed country tolerate children growing up in squalor? The question that is never asked, that is in fact completely taboo to even suggest, is why are people living in poverty having children? And is that moral?

It is the question asked by Zain, the protagonist of this superb film, who decides to sue his parents for having him. Having endured a lifetime of neglect, abuse and poverty he thinks no, and asks the court to prevent his parents from having anymore children.

That sets the film rolling, the vast majority of which takes place in flashback as we see how Zain ended up in court. Along the way we see the grim reality of life in the slums of Beirut, as Zain eventually decides to run away after his parents sell off his older (11 year old) sister in marriage to their landlord. He ends up living with an undocumented Ethiopian migrant who lives in a shack with her baby, and Zain ends up looking after the child while the mother works. This provides a counterpoint in many ways to the earlier scenes, as the threesome establish something akin to the warm loving home Zain had never known. But yet again, the films forces us to ask - why has this woman had a child? Though employed, she lives in squalor, and as an illegal migrant her child will never be able to get an education, as a local people trafficker trying to persuade her to sell the child reminds her. Is this moral? Does her right to have a child trump that of the child's right for a decent start in life?

The films develops from there, though I cannot reveal anymore without spoiling the final act. Though this isn't really a plot-driven film per se, more a slice-of-life look at Zain and how he deals with the situations life throws at him. This film reminded me very much of 'Salaam Bombay', Mira Nair's 1987 film which deals with street children in Mumbai.

It's a brave film and the only other film I can think of which tackles this issue is Ken Loach's 'Ladybird Ladybird', in which an impoverished woman with a chaotic home-life repeatedly gets pregnant. There I think Loach approached his protagonist from a more sympathetic perspective, seeing her as a victim of an unfair economic system and social forces beyond her control. Though I may be misreading her intention, Nadine Labaki takes this further and asks - is it basically selfish for people in these circumstances to have children?

Personally speaking - should the government (whether in rich or poor countries) be doing more to alleviate poverty? Yes. Is the economic system both within and between states currently too unequal? Yes. If you are stuck in poverty, dealing with poor mental health, drug addiction, illiteracy, malnutrition, slum-living condition - that sucks, and is unfair. But one thing you should not be doing is bringing children into that situation and thereby perpetuating the cycle of misery. Yes, some children rise above their circumstances, but the vast majority don't, and are thereby condemned to a miserable life through no fault of their own. It's the height of selfishness. This is the provocative question Labaki and Zain pose in this engrossing film.

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?

At first, I didn't want to review the movie, just give it the highest rating and leave it at that because I don't think I am worthy to judge it. And here I am, writing this, not because I have become any worthier but because people need to watch it. Capernaum tugs at your heartstrings and makes you ache. It's painful, and not in an ordinary way. I watched the movie a few days back and I still think about it. It's definitely made me more grateful for the things I have. The actors don't feel like they're acting (to some extent they're not), it feels like a reality, their innocent eyes describing a journey most of the world was unaware of.

I want to recommend this to everyone, but if you're at a low point in your life or show signs of depression, avoid it, you suffer enough. I watched most of the film with tears streaming down my face and at the end, I just sat in the dark with the credits rolling and wondering about the world we live in.

Capernaum is a masterpiece.

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.