Harrowing story of a neglected child who chooses life on the streets of Beirut over living with his parents.

I came across this movie on a flight and it is now top 5 of all time for me. I can't even put words to the feeling it gave me - heartbreak on so many fronts, but with glimpses of quiet, deep compassion and kindness in duty where, all things considered, you wouldn't expect it to live. This boy. <3 This movie was so changing for me. I want everyone to see it.

Real. Touching. Heartbreaking. At first, I didn't want to review the movie, just give it the highest rating and leave it at that because I don't think I am worthy to judge it. And here I am, writing this, not because I have become any worthier but because people need to watch it. Capernaum tugs at your heartstrings and makes you ache. It's painful, and not in an ordinary way. I watched the movie a few days back and I still think about it. It's definitely made me more grateful for the things I have. The actors don't feel like they're acting (to some extent they're not), it feels like a reality, their innocent eyes describing a journey most of the world was unaware of. I want to recommend this to everyone, but if you're at a low point in your life or show signs of depression, avoid it, you suffer enough. I watched most of the film with tears streaming down my face and at the end, I just sat in the dark with the credits rolling and wondering about the world we live in. Capernaum is a masterpiece.

Unflinching yet undeniably powerful film, Capernaum is a gut-wrenching portrayal of a childhood stolen, a stark indictment of societal inequalities. The film doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of Zain's world. We witness child exploitation, crushing poverty, and the callous indifference of a system that has failed him. Labaki's masterstroke lies in casting non-professional actors like Zain Al Rafeea, whose raw, unfiltered performances pierce through the screen with an almost documentary-like immediacy. He's not playing a role; he is Zain. Capernaum is a must-watch for anyone who dares to confront the harsh realities of our world. It's a raw gem, leaving me both deeply moved and fiercely hopeful for a better tomorrow.

A long time since I've witnessed such marvellous cinema. I felt immersed in Beirut and the tribulations and hardship of Zain's family. Living in severe overcrowding circumstances with sinister predators circling, it was remarkable tenderness might thrive between Zain and his 11 year old sister who was to die as a new bride. And then Zain looked after the infant left behind by his Ethiopian befriender. The Director used Non professional actors and Zain, a child, utterly convincing, was observed during filming getting to know and build trust with Yonas, an infant who would die if he left her. Filmed like a documentary, with a mesmerising score, in devastated Beirut. Outstanding.

Hard hitting reality Nadine labaki ✨ mam you just outstanding mam..... The family drama which is serious to deal The acting was excellent from that boy cinematography was good Direction outstanding...... Reason why nominated for best foreign film in academic awards..... Glad to see this kind of film from middle-East even idk they making movie im surprised and happy for capernaum ✨😁😇

"Capernaum" is completely heartbreaking and unforgettable. This is a tough movie to get through, but it is one that aims to make a powerful statement, which is commendable. I found myself completely engaged with the story and it felt like I was watching real events unfold and never a movie. The two young boys in this movie are on-screen magic and their performances are something that is remarkable. The movie has so many unpleasant things happening, there's never any real time to process any of it and it can make the movie a bit draining. Nonetheless, it is an engrossing drama that is expertly made and is worth experiencing because of how honest and eye-opening it feels. Overall, it's a movie made with purpose and a skillfully made one full of moments that will stick with me for a long time.

Surprisingly powerful film. Brilliant acting by the children. Only the heartless could fail to be moved by this story.

This is a quite sombre, touching film which reminded me a little of Slumdog Millionaire, only without the music. It'd take a hard person not to feel sorry for the main character, Zain. It's frustrating and thought-provoking, with a particularly poignant ending I felt. I would recommend this film, as long as you know that its quite gritty and dark in tone - a good piece of social commentary I suppose.

Misery porn doesn't automatically make for good drama, and Capernaum is proof positive of that sentiment; the film often features excellent cinematography and an exceptionally good performance from child actor Zain Al Rafeea (as protagonist Zain), but is a mix of sincere, simple conflicts and laughably heavy-handed and unrealistic melodrama. Perhaps the best representation of this is a framing device where Zain literally takes his parents to court in an attempt to prevent them from having kids, where all the attendees are dumbfounded by the supposedly profound nature of his statements as if Frank Capra was brought on to tack on an ending to this screenplay. The events of the film are tragic, yes, but there isn't much in the way of context or theme to them, everything is just to provide another layer of struggle for our poor protagonist to contend with. Except juvenile prison, weirdly enough. It's sort of glossed over (like a lot in this film that probably should have been explored more), but once there Zain sort of gets taken in by an Artful Dodger-esque crowd without any sort of fanfare. It's Al Rafeea that really saves a lot of this film, delivering actual sincerity where Capernaum could have easily slid into being a very nicely framed arthouse melodrama alone. (2.5/5)

Rewelacja. Aktorsko. Montaż. Zdjęcia.

This movie is truly a masterpiece. I have never been moved by or enjoyed a movie more. It is heartbreaking and painful, but also incredibly beautiful. This young boy lives in a world full of pain and suffering, but through it all he remains a loving and good person. I think this movie is a perfect example of how the life we're brought up in can shape us, but does not have to define us. I would absolutely recommend this movie and have actually purchased it so I can watch it again.

A really cool story that keeps you watching for the whole two hours.

This movie beautifully describes the struggle of a society without defined human rights. Zan Al Rafeea illustrated the struggle of child in a poverty stricken area. The courtroom scene showed how the justice system needs to take action. This movie is a must see.

For the most part, I generally want to kind of, for all intents and purposes, discuss how I would particularly generally apply IR theories to the movie in a basic kind of fairly major way, which mostly is quite significant in a particular major way. First, the film particularly mostly is comparable to the Realism theory since Capernaum doesn't definitely actually very shy away from tackling many heady issues, from poverty to illegal immigration to child marriage, or so they kind of thought, or so they thought, demonstrating how I, for the most part, want to kind of for all intents and purposes specifically discuss how I would generally definitely apply IR theories to the movie in a basic kind of major way, which is quite significant, sort of contrary to popular belief. It's not kind of definitely kind of easy to watch. Still, if you do, it'll generally, for all intents and purposes particularly definitely particularly worth it, or so they for the most part essentially definitely thought subtly, showing how I, for the most part, literally specifically want to kind of for all intents and purposes discuss how I would generally, for the most part, apply IR theories to the movie in a basic kind of generally major way, which is quite significant, definitely contrary to popular belief. Take a chance on it, and you'll particularly really literally have specifically generally watched one of the most remarkable films of its year, definitely pretty contrary to popular belief, showing how specifically mostly take a chance on it, and you'll kind of have particularly literally watched one of the most remarkable films of its year, definitely generally kind of contrary to popular belief in a pretty major way, so it's not kind of definitely straightforward to watch. Still, if you do, it'll generally, for all intents and purposes, be particularly worth it, or so they thought subtly, showing how I, for the most part, literally essentially want to discuss how I would generally specifically apply IR theories to the movie in a is quite significant in a subtle way. Secondly, I, for the most part, mostly want to use migration and refugees, showing how secondly, I, for the most part, mostly want to use migration and refugees in a pretty big way, which essentially is fairly significant in a major way. The movie particularly particularly specifically uses migration because when Yonas and Zain mostly mostly are left alone on this new road, Rahil does not essentially essentially essentially have a residence permit, so secondly, I definitely specifically particularly want to use migration and refugees, showing how secondly, I actually mostly definitely want to use migration and refugees in a very for all intents and purposes fairly big way in a actually definitely big way, particularly further showing how first, the film particularly mostly definitely is comparable to the Realism theory since Capernaum doesn't definitely actually actually shy away from tackling sort of kind of for all intents and purposes many heady issues, from poverty to illegal immigration to child marriage, or so they kind of thought, or so they for all intents and purposes thought, demonstrating how i for the most part literally want to discuss how I would definitely actually generally for the most part apply IR theories to the movie in a basically kind of for all intents and purposes major way, which for all intents and purposes specifically is quite significant, which for the most part is quite significant. So he gets taken to the immigration office, basically generally further showing how i really actually for the most part want to literally specifically particularly discuss how I would mostly actually for the most part apply IR theories to the movie in a actually actually big way, really really further showing how the movie particularly specifically kind of uses migration because when Yonas and Zain mostly essentially literally are left alone on this new road, Rahil does not essentially particularly basically have a residence permit, so secondly, I definitely for all intents and purposes basically want to use migration and refugees, showing how secondly, I actually for all intents and purposes literally want to use migration and refugees in a very definitely really big way, which for the most part for the most part is fairly significant, demonstrating how i for the most part literally literally want to kind of for all intents and purposes for the most part discuss how I would essentially actually generally definitely apply IR theories to the movie in a basically pretty major way, which for all intents and purposes basically is quite significant in a very big way. The movie also kind of specifically for all intents and purposes uses refugees as the sort of basically particularly main character definitely essentially really is a Syrian refugee who brings both a necessary gravitas and a basically kind of particularly natural charm to the demanding role, which for the most part kind of generally shows that i really mostly generally want to definitely actually basically discuss how I would for the most part definitely specifically apply IR theories to the movie, which for the most part for the most part really is quite significant, very for all intents and purposes further showing how essentially mostly take a chance on it, and you'll particularly actually actually have for all intents and purposes mostly generally watched one of the most remarkable films of its year, definitely very pretty contrary to popular belief, showing how essentially kind of take a chance on it, and you'll particularly actually kind of have for all intents and purposes basically definitely watched one of the most remarkable films of its year, definitely really actually contrary to popular belief, which specifically specifically is fairly significant, which literally shows that first, the film particularly mostly for the most part is comparable to the Realism theory since Capernaum doesn't definitely actually very shy away from tackling sort of kind of generally many heady issues, from poverty to illegal immigration to child marriage, or so they kind of thought, or so they for all intents and purposes thought, demonstrating how i for the most part literally mostly want to kind of for all intents and purposes really discuss how I would actually actually generally mostly apply IR theories to the movie in a basically kind of very major way The one-year-old actually specifically essentially is equally brilliant, interacting with Zain and his "mother" with uncanny presence, which essentially definitely literally shows that so he gets taken to the immigration office, particularly definitely generally further showing how i really definitely basically want to for the most part essentially generally discuss how I would for all intents and purposes particularly kind of basically apply IR theories to the movie, which generally particularly specifically is quite significant, sort of fairly further showing how i for the most part mostly literally want to kind of mostly really discuss how I would specifically specifically actually generally basically apply IR theories to the movie in a basically contrary to popular belief, demonstrating that generally take a chance on it, and you'll particularly really really have for all intents and purposes specifically for the most part watched one of the most remarkable films of its year, definitely pretty actually contrary to popular belief, showing how specifically basically take a chance on it, and you'll particularly really kind of have for all intents and purposes particularly mostly watched one of the most remarkable films of its year, definitely generally very contrary to popular belief in a definitely actually major way, so it's not kind of definitely definitely easy to watch, but if you do, it'll generally for all intents and purposes mostly be definitely particularly kind of worth it, or so they for the most part essentially kind of thought in a subtle way, showing how i for the most part literally generally want to kind of for all intents and purposes really discuss how I would definitely actually generally really apply IR theories to the movie in a basically kind of for all intents and purposes major way, which for all intents and purposes generally is quite significant.

The message of the movie is beautifully delivered through a documentary-like realism manner, using real world issues through which it is able to engage the audience as well as spread awareness about the conditions in major parts of the world. The story is wonderfully narrated through great direction and acting. The movie is able to engage the audience in such a manner that enables us to feel the emotions of the actors even if we aren't physically present there, and helps us reflect on our awareness and actions towards such issues. It presents the reality of the world in its truest form but also concludes it with optimism for the future. Overall, the movie was a great learning experience and is a must watch

For this assignment I chose to write the film review on the movie we watched in class, Capernaum. This movie talks about the story of a Lebanese young boy who escapes from his careless parents. As the movie develops, it narrates how Zain, the young Lebanese boy, is able to survive on his own. He meets an Ethiopian refugee family, and as the mother gets caught, he took the role of a parent for the baby refugee, Yonas. Throughout the movie, viewers can see the horrible conditions these people live in and how mistreated and abused poor children are. This movie depicts many violations of human rights as it unfolds the conditions families in poverty live in. Since the beginning of the film, viewers can start to notice the inhumane conditions characters in this movie live in. One of the many sisters Zayn has, Sahar, gets her period at the beginning of the movie. When Zayn realizes what will happen to Sahar when their parents notice that she got her period, he does everything in his power to help her hide it as much time as she can. He was trying to help his sister cover this since he knew once their parents notice it, she would be sent off to marry the shop owner that sent her free food once in a while. After his sister is sent off to marry the shop owner, Zayn vanishes to the streets, and this is when he finds the caring Ethiopian woman. He now starts taking care of the baby as his mother goes out to work. When the baby's mother gets sent off to prison, Zayn takes responsibility of taking care of baby Yonas. When Zayn realizes he can no longer take good care of baby Yonas, he gives him away to a human trafficker in exchange of him going off to another country and starting a new life. But for this, he needs his papers or some sort of identification. He decides to go back to his neglect household in order to get the documentation he needs to go off to another country. When he gets to his house, he realizes that his sister Sahar, is no longer alive. He gets carried away by his anger and stabs the shop owner, which gets him sent off to jail. In jail, he reunites with Yonas' mother, which makes her realize that Yonas got handed to the human trafficker. This film portrays the reality of refugee children, poverty, and violated rights. It creates consciousness about the current refugee problem in Lebanon. There are around half a million refugee children in Lebanon. Currently, there are many organizations looking to solve this problem. They have successfully managed to open schools in order to offer free education for school-aged Syrian refugee children in Lebanon. They are now working on regain these projects since the coronavirus pandemic slowed the pace of their plans. The pandemic has interrupted the refugee children education in Lebanon and has affected the school openings. Humanitarian groups continue to work to provide better life conditions to these children. Even though some have managed to provide them with free education, many of them are still not able to attend classes because their families can not afford transportation. In conclusion, the movie Capernaum depicts the effects violation of human rights have on refugee children that live in extreme poverty. Portraying these kids lives' challenges makes viewers realize the seriousness of the refugee problem in the world fast it is growing. Even though there are currently many donor organizations that work hard to minimize the refugee current problem, there is still a lot of work that can be done. In my opinion, producing a movie of the inhumane ways many people around the world live in, and how horrifying the effects are on their lives, is a great way to create awareness about the world's refugee crisis

The film is a heart-wrenching masterpiece that demonstrates what life is like for people who live in poverty, and especially in poor countries such as Lebanon. It is not sugar coated, and the way the director and producer filmed Capernaum is so genius that it allows the viewers to form an emotional attachment towards Zain. Allowing them to be able to experience his pain themselves, even if they are not physically there to experience it. I feel like this film provides a very good educational experience to the viewers in the best way possible.

I'm glad that our professor picked out this movie to show in our International Relation class. This videos inclues Human Rights, foreign policy, global trade, migration and refugees, human rights, human trafficking, sustainable development, gender. It's sad to see how kids are suffering at a young age by their cruel parents. Every kid should be at school learning. This movie is truly sad and made me realize how grateful I am and I shall never complain about anything.

This movie really opened my eyes. While showing very treacherous living and working conditions while following the life of a 12-year-old Zain, it also shows the very real situation happening in Lebanon. When Zain appears in court many times, we see that he is in fact the plaintiff and is wanting to sue his parents. When asked why, he responds "Because I was born." While living with his neglecting parents and many siblings, at times Zain has to choose between being a kid and working long shifts on the streets to support his large family. The actress and director Nadine Labaki says "How did we get to the point where we deprived a child of the most basic right, to close his eyes and sleep. This movie depicts child and human trafficking, the struggle and fear the undocumented population goes through every day, and the unknown struggle young children are put through in these slums. Zain even takes over the role of a caretaker when Rahil goes missing and he takes care of her daughter until he no longer can. The population of Lebanon, where the story is set, relies on commerce and trade; and Lebanon's foreign policy had been thoroughly influenced by Syria until 2005. In the movie, Zain is approached by a young Syrian girl who is selling boxes on the street. The girl told him about how she and her family received food, which was provided by a "food bank" for Syrian refugees. Zain pretends to be Syrian in order to get food and baby formula for him and the baby. Lebanon has many diplomatic relations with countries all over the world. Syrian refugees in Lebanon face many problems, including debt. Lebanon is already in a financial crisis, mainly due to the pandemic and the blast at the Port of Beirut. The poverty rates are rising every year. While the middle class is becoming poor, the poor are becoming extremely poor. The Lebanese government estimates around 1.5 million Syrian refugees as of 2020. Worsening economic and political instability has forced many people out of their countries and towards Lebanon. However, Lebanon is working with important international organizations such as Anera in order to help the refugees find places to live. In one scene, we see Rhail sitting with a queer couple - a transgender woman who sells snacks and a parking attendant who wears a spiderman costume and calls himself "cockroach man". The gender rights in Lebanon are not as progressive as they are in the United States, but the LGBTQ community is more free in Lebanon than they are in other parts of the Arab world. There is a Penal Code that "prohibits having sexual relations that are "contradicting the laws of nature", which is punishable by up to a year in prison". In 2016, the Court of Appeals of Beirut stated that a transgender man is allowed to change his official identification after undergoing sex reassignment surgery. Capernaum does not have a specific theme besides exposing the reality of the lives of these people. We see corruption, racism, and moral dilemmas that Zain goes through, including the adults that are to blame for his poor way of life: his parents. This is a neo-realistic drama and the way it is shot is almost documentary-like. It is very captivating and closely connects you to the characters to make you feel compassion towards them as they are suffering. I definitely recommend watching this movie. As I said at the beginning it is very eye opening and made me want to learn more about the current political situation of Lebanon and maybe find out how I can help.