DVD Reviews

Caramel

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Joanna Moukarzel
• Details: France / Lebanon 95mins (PG).

A romantic comedy set in Beirut sounds like two worlds colliding, but Caramel is the funniest, sweetest and saddest rom-com to be released so far this year. Taking place in and around a salon (which gives it a Steel MagnoliasFried Green Tomatoes... vibe), the plot follows the everyday lives of five women. The beautiful Layale (Labaki, who also writes and directs) prefers to continue her clandestine affair with a married man instead of returning the affections of a handsome police officer who constantly lets her off her driving fines; Nisrine (Elmasri) is preparing for her wedding and is worried what her husband will think when he finds out she's not a virgin; lesbian Rima (Moukarzel) is besotted with a strange lady who pops into the salon; Jamal (Aouad) is determined to not let menopause get in the way of feeling young, and elderly Rose (Sihame Haddad) juggles the affections of an American businessman and taking care of her demented older sister. Caramel (the title refers to the preferred mode of waxing in the salon) is a Richard Curtis rom-com but centred very much in the real world. Labaki strives for honesty in every scene; her co-stars are non-professionals whom she lets ad-lib some lines and this gives the film a breezy, natural flow. If you can't see yourself struggling through an hour-and-a-half of subtitles, wait, as Caramel is ripe for a Hollywood remake. However, as the remake will more than likely hammer home what Labaki only hints at and the subtlety and nuances will be lost, so it's best to catch it now. Well deserving of its Oscar nomination, the bar for chick flicks has been raised.

Review by Gavin Burke