Caramel (Sukkar Banat)

Life , like caramel, is both sweet and hard
In my review of The Women (2008), I suggested that it would be better, if you are interested in women and their relationships, and the question of infidelity in marriage, to see this film, a Lebanese/French co-production.

Like The Women, both the 1939 and 2008 versions, there are very few men in this film, and we never really see the unfaithful husband. What we do see is a very sensitive portrait of a group of women friends and work colleaugues working at a lovely old  run-down beauty salon, called "Si Belle" (So Beautiful, in French). In a sly joke, the "B" has fallen down, so it actually says "Si elle" (If she...). And that's the question that is asked about each of the women in the film: "What if she...?" 

All the scenes in the beauty salon are shot in a lovely caramel glow, and many scenes are inventively framed. The neighbourhood is lovingly presented, with all its eccentric and flawed characters, and its true sense of community.

I really loved this film, and will try to write more about it later. The writer/director/ star, the lovely Nadine Labaki dedicated it to "My Beirut". Its worth visiting it on IDBM <http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0825236/> to have a look at the pictures to get an idea of what a beautiful experience this film will be to watch.

For the girls, it's a must-see.