Film guide 2018
Capernaum
A child's search for care and dignity among the overlooked lives of Beirut.
- Original title
- Capharnaüm
- Director
- Nadine Labaki
- Year
- 2018
Editorial profile. Availability on LAREINE TV has not been confirmed.
Story, without spoilers
Twelve-year-old Zain leaves a home marked by neglect and meets Rahil, an Ethiopian woman raising a baby. As their paths cross, everyday survival becomes his responsibility. A courtroom framing story gives the boy a space to question the adults who have shaped his life.
Context & recognition
Nadine Labaki builds the fiction around performers whose experiences informed its development. The film received the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2018, placing its portrait of vulnerable childhood before an international audience.
Main characters & cast
Zain
Zain Al Rafeea
A resourceful boy trying to make himself heard.
Rahil
Yordanos Shiferaw
An Ethiopian mother living precariously in Beirut.
Yonas
Boluwatife Treasure Bankole
Rahil's baby, whom Zain helps care for.