Capernaum Movie Review

Capernaum [Capharnaüm] (2018)

Rent Capernaum on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Nadine Labaki & Jihad Hojeily & Michelle Keserwany (screenplay), Georges Khabbaz & Khaled Mouzanar (in collaboration with)
Directed by: Nadine Labaki
Starring: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
In this Arabic language film,  a 12-year-old boy serving a five-year sentence for a violent crime sues his parents for neglect.

Verdict
This is a powerful movie. It's easy to forget how well off many of us are. We see this kid that's on his own, living in squalor. His parents are only interested in what he can do for them and how he can earn money. The tipping point is when they sell his sister for two chickens. He's distraught, but most of all he doesn't want another kid to live his life. Most kids his age in more developed countries are playing video games. This kid is taking care of a baby and selling drugs on the street. It's a harrowing portrayal of life in another country. While the concept of him suing his parents sounds sensational, by the end of the movie I agreed with him. 
Watch It.

Review
What a hook. Why is this kid suing his parents? My first thought is that it's some kind of dodge as Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) is charged with stabbing someone. He's imprisoned and suing his parents for being born, but his parents don't even know his age. Why not? His parents never registered his birth. While I was skeptical at first, Zain's parents have various kids they use for scams and illegal schemes. They also have a toddler chained to a walker. Just a few minutes in, and this is heartbreaking in how these kids live. Zain's sister, I'm guessing adopted, has her first period and he tells her they must hide it from their parents or they'll give her away. He's had to have seen this before with that reaction.

Zain's parents are just looking for a way to capitalize on their kids, developing ways the children can produce and pilfer. At the trial, Zain's dad absolves himself of any responsibility.

Zain Al Rafeea plays Zain

Zain plans to run away with his sister, but his parents sell her for two chickens before he can get her. He leaves by himself, begging for work and food. He meets Tigest (Yordanos Shiferaw) who for some reason has pity on him. Maybe she knows what it's like trying to survive on the streets. She gives him some food and has him care for her baby, Yonas. I was shocked she'd let a stranger that's so young watch her child, but she's also desperately working to provide enough for her and Yonas. Zain is a child caring for a child, and it's clear he's done this before. He likely had to care for his brothers and sisters at home. Obviously his parents weren't doing that.

We see what makes people desperate. Tigest is an illegal immigrant trying to get identification so that her son isn't taken away. Tigest isn't much older than a kid. She and Zain both have little protection. She'd do anything for Jonas, and that's a contrast with Zain's parents who use him as a prop and money making tool. The difference is who suffers and why. While the suffering in the movie may seem extreme or indulgent, this is a realistic depiction of Lebanon.

Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Zain Al Rafeea play Yonas, Zain

When Tigest is arrested, Zain has no way to find her. He's stealing just so he and Yonas have food, but there's only so much he can do. It's wild to see these kids roaming the street and no one passing by does anything. Everyone is just trying to survive. Zain loses his place to stay, and tries to leave Yonas behind. Yonas doesn't understand and tries to follow, causing Zain to relent. Instead he sells Yonas to Aspro with no other options. Aspro promises to provide Zain with identification and a ticket to Sweden. Zain returns home for his papers where his parents maliciously tell him he doesn't have any papers. In an attempt to hurt him further, they inform Zain his sister is dead. That's when he snaps, and that's why he's in jail.

Zain sues his parents to protect his siblings and to prevent them from having any more kids. He doesn't want any other kids to live his life. At the end of the movie Zain gets photographed for an ID. He's asked to smile, and I didn't realize it until it happened, but it's the first time we've seen that happen the entire movie.

It's so easy to become lost in the comparatively easy problems of a developed nation when compared to a developing, lower income country like Lebanon. While depicting the issues through cute kids like Zain and Yonas can seem manipulative, it's because their lives are so far removed from what developed nations see. Zain's parents really are terrible.