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 & 7 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 | police | friendship | 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 [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:

€1,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$71,916, 3 February 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,060,591, 29 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

Adrar Al Doukhan
Written by Mounir El Khawi

User Reviews

Caramel, you woke up my heart

A wonderful beautiful surprisingly well directed movie. It took me back to the place where I grew up, to the people I knew, to the narrow streets I hated then, and that I miss so much now. I had forgotten "la douceur de vivre" in that part of the world, how loving and supportive Lebanese people can be, regardless of their religion, background or social status. The stories of these 4 women is told with such simplicity, but yet a lot of tenderness, understanding, and forgiveness. The camera was their friend, exploring their most intimate feelings, joys and pains, but very protective too. Protective of their privacy, of their feelings, and their sadness. These 96 minutes of movie, brushed up all the callouses that had built up around my heart, and made it vibrate again, and made it dance to the rhythm of this beautiful city Beirut. Thank you Nadine for this wonderful gift, and thank you Khaled Mouzannar for making my heart and soul dance. Nicole Mishalany, Los Angeles, CA