Caramel (2007)
"Sukkar banat" (original title)

A romantic comedy centered on the daily lives of five Lebanese women living in Beirut.

Director:

Nadine Labaki

Writers:

Rodney El Haddad, Jihad Hojeily,

Stars:

Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Elmasri, Joanna Moukarzel

5 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Nadine Labaki	...	Layale
Yasmine Elmasri	...	Nisrine (as Yasmine Al Masri)
Joanna Moukarzel	...	Rima
Gisèle Aouad	...	Jamale
Adel Karam	...	Youssef
Sihame Haddad	...	Rose (as Siham Haddad)
Aziza Semaan	...	Lili
Fatmeh Safa	...	Siham
Dimitri Staneofski	...	Charles
Fadia Stella	...	Christine
Ismaïl Antar	...	Bassam
Yousra Karam	...	Salon client
Victoria Bader	...	Salon client
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sara Abou Rjayleh	...	Fille de Christine
Daddy Abourlek	...	Jeune femme devant les toilettes

Storyline

Six women in Beirut seek love, marriage, and companionship and find duty, friendship, and possibility. Four work at a salon: Nisrine, engaged to Bassam, with a secret she shares with her co-workers; Jamale, a divorced mother of teens, a part-time model, fearing the encroachment of time; Rima, always in pants, attracted to Siham, a client who smiles back; Layale, in love with a married man, willing to drop everything at a honk of his horn. There's also Rose, a middle-aged seamstress, who cares for Lili, old and facing dementia. Rose has a suitor; Layale has an admirer on the police force. Is delight a possibility? Is caramel a sweet or an instrument of pain?

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Plot Keywords:

friendship | caramel | police | seamstress | suitor | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements involving sexuality, language and some smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [fr] Official site

Country:

France Lebanon

Language:

Arabic French

Release Date:

9 August 2007 (Lebanon)

Also Known As:

Caramel

Filming Locations:

Beirut, Lebanon

Box Office

Budget:

€1,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£122,790 (UK) (16 May 2008)

Gross:

$1,060,591 (USA) (27 June 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films des Tournelles, Les Films de Beyrouth, Roissy Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lebanon's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008).

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Connections

Referenced in Seven Minutes (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Mreyte Ya Mreyte"
Lyrics by Tania Saleh
Music by Khaled Mouzannar
Performed by Racha Rizk

User Reviews

Great surprise from Nadine Labaki!

A very good impression was left in me after viewing Caramel, on the stories, the scenario, the acting, the comedy/drama smooth transitions, the cinematography... It was all very impressive, a well made movie, something the Lebanese cinematography has been missing for a long time.

Most of all innovative for the usual oriental mood. A excessive dose of reality coupled with genuine laughing moments, made Caramel rise above the usual, traditional Lebanese movie making. And last but not least, great acting. I know people don't like to compare here, but I can say that the acting was altogether, as a result, above anything else I've seen in Lebanon's movie history.

The one thing that lacked in Caramel was a great revelation of some sort. Maybe that's just what I wished to see. There was a couple of discreet ones, but I think the intention of the movie was to project a hidden reality to most people, and it succeeded in doing so.

Congratulations to Nadine Labaki and all the team behind Caramel, go see Caramel, a wonderful experience, I will be waiting anxiously for Nadine's next wonder!