A Sad and Beautiful World

I remember meeting Cyril Aris at the Beirut Women's International Film Festival a couple of years ago and telling him how much of an impact his documentary "Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano" had on me. Fast forward a couple of years, Cyril Aris strikes back with an extraordinary journey with his first feature film, "A Sad and Beautiful World". The film follows Nino and Yasmina's intense bond, who face a choice between love and survival as they consider starting a family in war-torn Lebanon. 

What makes this movie so great is the story. I love seeing these kinds of stories brought to life, and this film scratched this itch that I had. The mix of comedy and drama hits you right in the guts and creates something truly wonderful. What made it all the more special was how real and grounded those characters were. Kudos to Aris and Fakih for some truly stellar writing here! I keep on talking and talking about how good the story and the characters are here, but nothing will ever beat seeing it all come together on screen! 

Of course, those characters couldn't have been brought to life without the help of an amazing cast. Mounia Akl and Hasan Akil both delivered phenomenal performances, and their chemistry was off the charts! But who stole the show for me were the child actors. They did an amazing job and were really convincing! Furthermore, the rest of the cast also managed to deliver some great performances. Lastly, I need to praise both the cinematography by Joe Saade and the magical yet haunting score by Anthony Sahyoun. Words cannot describe how great this film is, and I strongly recommend watching it when you get a chance. Simply said, "A Sad and Beautiful World" is the best Lebanese film to ever grace the screens!