Listen

After the new Lebanese movies production rush, And after watching more than four Lebanese movies that were released in the past 12 months, I was starting to lose hope. I went to watch "Ismaii/Listen" with the lowest expectations possible... And I was shocked by it, positively... I can't but start with the sound! For a movie that mostly focuses on sounds, the sound in it does not disappoint... the sheer amalgam of sounds is enough for one to watch the movie for a second time, with one's eyes closed... I say a second time, because the first time, one wouldn't want to miss the breathtaking visuals! Another forte of the movie... The story is not one of those conventional fake love stories that the Lebanese movies often present... And the young characters do resemble the real Lebanese youth one meets in the streets of Lebanon, not the Botox filled, shallow, material social climbers, other movies portray... The scenario was natural, and straight to the point... not filled with nonsense just for the sake of filling the silence... and working amazingly hand in hand with the various sounds! The switches between the present and the flashbacks is appealingly subtle! And the actors were able to convey a lot of emotions with their implicit facial expressions instead of just being too explicitly vocal and recite useless jabbers like other Lebanese movies often do... If you're there for a light comedy movie, this is not what you should watch... But if you want to see a movie that leaves a trace after it's over, then "Ismaii" is surely the Lebanese movie to watch in 2017.