Caramel (2007)

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

Director:

Nadine Labaki

Writers:

Nadine Labaki (idea), Jihad Hojeily (idea)

Stars:

Nadine Labaki, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisèle Aouad

5 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nadine Labaki	...	Layale
Yasmine Al Massri	...	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 (as Fatme Safa)
Dimitri Staneofski	...	Charles (as Dimitri Stancofsky)
Fadia Stella	...	Christine
Ismaïl Antar	...	Bassam
Cinderella Al Hajj	...	Cliente rousse
Daed Al Khoury	...	Samia
Farida Saleba	...	Cliente salon (as Farida Saliba)
Jocelyne El Khoury	...	Cliente salon

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:

caramel | f rated | woman | police | friendship | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the cast is made up of non-actors as director Nadine Labaki wanted naturalistic performances from them.

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Connections

Referenced in Seven Minutes (2009)

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Soundtracks

Fi Zilli Himayatiki
Written by Mansour Labaki

User Reviews

Caramel shows that it can be done

Caramel is one of the rare contemporary films that shows restraint in its use of common language and in-your-face eroticism. I can't remember the last time I watched a movie that dealt with adult topics in such creative ways.

In contrast to most other films of this kind, we the audience are treated as intelligent, thinking people. We are asked to examine women's issues of sex, relationships, and aging without being subjected to the graphic scenes and gratuitous language that are prevalent in today's film-making. There isn't even an instance of "potty" humor, although one particularly touching scene takes place in a bathroom. Nevertheless, humor abounds in the form of terrific writing and amazingly good acting by these Arabic actresses.

Naturally, movies of this type do not have mass appeal in US culture. But for cinema buffs who appreciate the creative nature of screen writing, Caramel should not be missed. Guys, you can earn points by taking your date to this one, and there is a bevy of beauties for us to enjoy. And moms, don't miss the chance to take your adolescent daughters to Caramel... It will spark conversations about love, relationships, adultery, lesbianism, menopause, and more... All without being offensive.

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] 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:

EUR1,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$71,916, 3 February 2008

Gross USA:

$1,055,580

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,248,749

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