The final frames of Nadine Labaki's Capernaum shows the face of a smiling boy, but the film that comes before it tells a different story behind that smile, a story that is emotionally raw and powerfull, but flawed in what it is trying to say.
The premise sounds outlandish, but makes sense once one starts to get into the details. Zain, a Lebanese child, is in jail. We are not told exactly what crime he committed, at least not yet. We learn that he is suing his parents for the 'crime' of giving him life. Again, it sounds preposterous, but the film then spends the rest of its running time selling the audience on this idea by showing us Zain'slife leading to the crime. In the flashbacks that make up most of the film, Zain's life intertwines with that of Rahil, an undocumented Ethiopian woman, and Rahil's son Yonas.
There's a palpable sense of outrage in this film, and the third act is very effective in making viewers empathize with Zain and his plight. The second act in particular reminds one of films like Grave of the Fireflies or Empire of the Sun where wily young kids use their wits to survive a harsh and unforgiving world.
Ultimately, however, while the film generally comes off as well-meaning, the film's central message comes off as muddled at best, reductive at worst. Zain's suffering, if we are to believe the film's thesis finds its roots in poverty. But is that really all there is to it? Do Zain's parents procreate like rabbits just because they are poor, or is it because they are horrible people? Of course poverty in itself is a major root cause, but why does that poverty exist in the first place?
There is the presence of something larger in the film. Within a greater socio-historical context, the displacement of peoples due to ethnic violence, war either internal or external, and even the long term effects of interventionism links these characters together, but the film does not acknowledge this fully and it stays out of reach.
There is merit in the emotional ferocity and rawness of Capernaum, but the message it wants to tell feels incomplete.
The premise sounds outlandish, but makes sense once one starts to get into the details. Zain, a Lebanese child, is in jail. We are not told exactly what crime he committed, at least not yet. We learn that he is suing his parents for the 'crime' of giving him life. Again, it sounds preposterous, but the film then spends the rest of its running time selling the audience on this idea by showing us Zain'slife leading to the crime. In the flashbacks that make up most of the film, Zain's life intertwines with that of Rahil, an undocumented Ethiopian woman, and Rahil's son Yonas.
There's a palpable sense of outrage in this film, and the third act is very effective in making viewers empathize with Zain and his plight. The second act in particular reminds one of films like Grave of the Fireflies or Empire of the Sun where wily young kids use their wits to survive a harsh and unforgiving world.
Ultimately, however, while the film generally comes off as well-meaning, the film's central message comes off as muddled at best, reductive at worst. Zain's suffering, if we are to believe the film's thesis finds its roots in poverty. But is that really all there is to it? Do Zain's parents procreate like rabbits just because they are poor, or is it because they are horrible people? Of course poverty in itself is a major root cause, but why does that poverty exist in the first place?
There is the presence of something larger in the film. Within a greater socio-historical context, the displacement of peoples due to ethnic violence, war either internal or external, and even the long term effects of interventionism links these characters together, but the film does not acknowledge this fully and it stays out of reach.
There is merit in the emotional ferocity and rawness of Capernaum, but the message it wants to tell feels incomplete.
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