Yet another of 2018’s most acclaimed films comes from Lebanon. Capernaum, which translates as Chaos, chronicles difficult conditions for people living in Lebanon, especially refugees. Few of the performers are professionals; most are novices on screen for the first time, to give the film the proper air of authenticity.

Nadine Labaki’s film follows young Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) as he deserts his own family when his sister is sold. Zain struggles until he befriends a woman, Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw), who has a young son that Zain can babysit while she works. But even that goes badly when they are separated and Zain is jailed. Eventually he sues his parents for neglect, and the movie ends with Rahil reuniting with her child.

Harrowing and heartbreaking are terms which apply to this very realistic movie. It is a fictionalized version of events which writer-director Labaki witnessed and experienced during her time in Lebanon. It is difficult to watch, with poverty, cruelty, human trafficking, greed, neglect, starvation and general filth all too common. Yet it is an uplifting story, too — young Zain refuses to sit by and accept a fate forced upon him by circumstance, and he and Rahil do whatever they can to keep her son alive and safe despite overwhelming obstacles.

Capernaum is gonzo filmmaking designed to convey the ordinary horror of living for so many people in Lebanon, where just finding food and shelter is a daily struggle for so many. Where kids grow up too soon, or are sold to ease the burden on families, which continue to grow unabated. It is an unflinching look at the dark realities people in underdeveloped countries face; it is hard to watch, but it is also hard to look away. ☆ ☆ ☆. 17 May 2019.