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 Rated: PG
Caramel centers on the daily
lives of five Lebanese women living in Beirut,
Lebanon, four
of which work in an aging and neglected beauty salon. The salon is a magnet for
problem love lives.
Starring: Nadine Labaki, Adel Karam, Ismail Antar, Aziza Semaan, Yasmine Elmasri
Directed by: Nadine Labaki
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Layale (Labaki) keeps trying to make an ill-fated
relationship with a married man work to her satisfaction; the betrothed Nisrine
(Elmasri), who is no more a virgin, has been pondering whether she should get herself medically
renewed; Rima’s (Moukarzel) a lesbian who glows every time her mysterious
customer drops by for a shampoo; and Jamale (Aouad) keeps fighting the aging
process that has been keeping her from getting her acting side jobs.
Thrown
into the mix is Rose (Haddad), a tailor with a shop next to the salon who has
long lost the will for a romantic life.
When three of the women start complicating their situations, things
start getting wacky with unexpected results.
I loved the character of Rose, a widow, now devoted to taking care of her doddering mother. Beautifully played by Haddad, Rose keeps
herself buried in her work, avoiding affectionate eyes, due to deep devotion to
her past. When she gets an unexpected caller however, her coveted world starts
to teeter.
The direction by Labaki sways
toward long, involving character development rather than deep-seeded plot. Being part of the writing staff, you can see
her strong impact on the male characters, making them pawns rather than an
integral part of the story development.
I was impressed with the cinematography, and especially the sensuous
overhead shots of Rima washing Siham’s (Fatmeh Safa) long, flowing black hair.
Caramel was Lebanon's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th
Annual Academy Awards (2008). The movie
is spoken in Arabic and French with English.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Caramel,
filled with some very chaotic romantic relationships, is a sweet film designed
for the ladies.
This Reviewer's Rating:    3.5 / 5Â
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