Capernaum

(Capharnaüm)

121 minutes

Arabic
Amharic

Lebanon
USA

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Nadine Labaki’s CAPERNAUM (“Chaos”) tells the story of Zain (Zain al Raffea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life. CAPERNAUM follows Zain, a gutsy streetwise child as he flees his negligent parents, survives through his wits on the streets, and takes care of Ethiopian refugee Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw) and her baby son, Yonas (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole). CAPERNAUM was made with a cast of non-professionals playing characters whose lives closely parallel their own. While steeped in the quiet routines of ordinary people, CAPERNAUM is a film with an expansive palette: without warning it can ignite with emotional intensity, surprise with unexpected tenderness, and inspire with flashes of poetic imagery.

98% on the CINEMETER

MIL

100% - Dec 16, 2018

Powerfully emotional movie! I wanted to cry every minute.
Milwaukee Member

Powerful and sad movie that all should see.
Milwaukee Member

Electrifying. Great movie!
Milwaukee Member

Very powerful and sad.
Milwaukee Member

STL

100% - Dec 9, 2018

Powerful. Gritty. Realistic Feel. A look at the life, when you pull back the curtain and look at those who live in the shadows trying to survive--undocumented refugees/immigrants - or those living in poverty!
St. Louis Member

Difficult topic masterfully addressed. Provides a glimmer of the pain and suffering others endure and to which we are mostly inured. I am in awe of the storytelling and setting. A compelling film that deserves the widest audience.
St. Louis Member

So sad - but excellent. Loved the music. Just amazing knowing the backstory of how it was shot. Can't believe it came in second to "Shoplifters."
St. Louis Member

Outstanding film on people and poverty! Zain was an amazing character and the "thread" of the storyline. He is a survivor. He is the heart of the film. Natural actor, too. The film marvelously shows the conditions of poverty and what poor people must do to survive in any country in the world. Add to that a "no paper" immigration status! Let us not judge, but instead help with the tools/gifts each of us has to give. Very inspiring film. Lively to be an Academy Award winner in Foreign Film category. Music had "Schindleresque (violins) quality.
St. Louis Member

Poignant, powerful, evocative, fascinating look at refugee crisis in Lebanon. Only criticism of production a lack of factual, historical context of recent Lebanese history. Direction, acting superb. The judge is a rational presence--attempting to impose rationality on "chaos" of the title.
St. Louis Member

ATL

99% - Dec 9, 2018

BOS

98% - Dec 2, 2018

Amazing film. A masterpiece. So profound and thought provoking. Should be seen by everyone.
Boston Member

So many social issues that strike at your heart and consciousness. Timely and powerful.
Boston Member

Astounding cinematography. Excellent performances.
Boston Member

Hard to believe that these are not actors. So compelling to the believability of the film.
Boston Member

It spoke to the resilience of children and adults
Boston Member

97% - Dec 2, 2018

A remarkable, heartbreaking story of the struggle of the impoverished to live with simple dignity as human beings. But it was almost too painful to watch.
San Francisco Member

Superb, but gut-wrenching.
San Francisco Member

It is only an accident of birth that I sit in this theater today, an educated person, who has lived a comfortable, well-fed, interesting life, and not struggled through an existence shown on the screen in this film.
San Francisco Member

Two lives saved...2 million to go. It's a start.
San Francisco Member

A film that packs an emotional wallop. If anything, I hope it gets viewers to re-evaluate anodyne, overrated movies of a similar ilk like "Lion" and "Slumdog Millionaire."
San Francisco Member

The film made me weep, and was all the more poignant because we know our administration is now treating new immigrants as badly as we saw in this film.
San Francisco Member

I could taste the street, the hardship, the poverty - a bitter dish that so much of the world dines on regularly.
San Francisco Member

Extraordinary performances by non-actors, and director Labaki makes her points powerfully.
San Francisco Member

Powerful powerful powerful powerful.
San Francisco Member

97% - Dec 2, 2018

Excellent. Acting by non-pros was top notch. A devastating subject.
Greater New Haven Member

Absolutely amazing film. I was sad and infuriated throughout. What is wrong with us?
Greater New Haven Member

Zain was exceptional! Powerful story - an ordeal to sit through, but people should see it!
Greater New Haven Member

Fabulous acting - a heartbreaking cauldron of tragic existences. Only Zain sees the reality, and the injustice.
Greater New Haven Member

Provocative and unforgettable . . . I was totally drawn in and didn't even realize it was as long as it was until it was mentioned in the post-film discussion.
Greater New Haven Member

Thank GOD it ended with a smile! It should be promoted as a docu-drama. Very hard to watch - I gave it an excellent with a heavy heart.
Greater New Haven Member

This story, set in Lebanon, resonates far beyond - and the reunification of Rahil and Jonas should make all of us think about separations at other kinds of borders, including American ones.
Greater New Haven Member

96% - Nov 18, 2018

What a brilliant film! We are immersed in the grimy truth of these people's lives. The director extracts authentic, deeply felt performances from every actor. If there was a false moment in the film, I did not detect it. For the viewer, this film offers complete cultural immersion. Significant, emotionally true. A great film.
Washington, DC Member

It seemed seamless. . . .an epic film. A global problem - I think it was the first time that I've seen population control suggested as a cause.
Washington, DC Member

Extraordinary, Incredible, Exhausting, Heartbreaking. The hauntingly beautiful music really added to the impact.
Washington, DC Member

It's hard to imagine a more dismal story, but one that's more important to see. A glimmer of optimism at the end.
Washington, DC Member

Wow! What an astounding film. The most incredible directing I've ever seen!
Washington, DC Member

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