Zozo

What can i say. Joseph Fares has managed to capture on film the experience of what it meant to be Lebanese and to be in Lebanon during the war. Away from any and all politicization, away from the savagery and brutality the film is able to project the "Human" face of what anyone of us would go through given the circumstances. I left in 1989 as well, but i was one of the fortunate ones and my family remained safe. What Joseph and Zozo (actor) were able to produce together was beyond remarkable. Beauty indeed is found in simplicity, so is power. Carmen Lebbos who plays zozo's mother in this unfolding story is also able to bring the best of her game and i wouldn't be surprised if the film is able to capture more than one home run at the Oscars. Goodluck :) Hint: in Lebanon we call Joseph --> ZoZo :)

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.

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.

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™

The young Arabian boy, Zozo lives a fairly normal life with his family in Beirut. He's got good friends, and goes to an Arabic school. His grandparents live in Sweden, and have been motivating him and his family to come too. Away from the war. To a place what they saw as a paradise. A place where there was not war. As he described it to his friends, A country with beautiful girls and pretty houses.

From that ideal life, the movie leads you through the tragedy that Zozo experiences.

Zozo is an amazingly beautiful film (but yet no where near dramatic), that shows the world from an dreaming, mature eleven year old boy's point of view. The poetic and surrealistic filming captures the emotions in an extraordinary way, and surreal chapters of his dreams bring you closer to his mind and imagination.

I've never before cried over a movie. But the thought of this movie actually only being half fictional, since there is, and always will be war, made me feel utterly selfish, and at these circumstances you must either be a rock hard sailor or an emotionally dead soldier to at least not be a little touched by this emotional and poetic filming, and feel sympathy for the people who have to go through these circumstances. When they are forced into a war they never asked for. The victims of political arguments.