ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

ASKED TO picture the Lebanese capital Beirut it would seem all too inevitable to think in terms of conflict, strife and suffering. In the delightful Caramel, filmmaker Nadine Labaki is determined to paint a very different picture of her city.

She doesn’t ignore the problems or pressures for the women who live there but she accentuates the positive by revealing a city where the sun shines, romance flourishes and bonds can be forged that help women to endure all the good and bad times.

Set in a Beirut beauty salon, Caramel has the jaunty feel of a Pedro Almodovar creation rather than the sticky sentimentality of Steel Magnolias or Beauty Shop.

Labaki stars as Layale, a hairdresser involved with a married man and constantly left facing the disappointments of being the other woman. Her colleagues include Nisrine (Yasmine Al Masri), a woman about to be married but also about to seek surgical assistance to maintain the illusion that she is still a virgin.

Then there is Rima (Joanna Moukarzel) who sighs a special sigh every time a certain beautiful stranger arrives for a treatment.

Caramel is a charming, warm-hearted ensemble piece that feels as sweet as the title might suggest. It’s appeal lies in the fact that it refuses to settle for fluffy escapism. Instead, it builds a poignant picture of lives unfolding in the shadow of misery but still able to draw strength from the power of positive thinking and the comfort of friendship. Beirut will never seem the same again.

Selected nationwide release

Director: Nadine Labaki
Cast: Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisele Aouad, Adel Karam, Siham Haddad
Screenwriters: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeily, Rodney Al Haddad
Certificate: PG
Running time: 96 mins
Country: Lebanon
Year: 2007