Caramel (Sukkar Banat)
At first glance, Caramel has all the trappings of a so-called chick-flick. But appearances can be deceptive. At its sold-out screenings at the recent Melbourne International Film Festival, it was attended - and enjoyed - by both genders.
Directed by and starring Nadine Labaki, the locus of activity in the film is a beauty salon in Beirut. The title of the film is taken from the sticky strands of edible confection that are used to depilate the clients of the salon, and from the opening credits, it sets the scene for the rest of the film.
Labaki is charming on screen, and visually stunning (think of a Lebanese Nigella Lawson). More importantly, she’s a good actor, and has led a strong ensemble cast in a most endearing tale involving a group of women who work at and frequent the salon. The writers haven’t been overly subtle in devising a cast in which each woman represents the experiences of particular subsets of the female population: the ageing duty-bound woman with a last shot at love, the lesbian, the young single butterfly, and so forth. Yet somehow it works, and we can’t help but care about the people on the screen. There are moments to elicit smiles aplenty and even a few that tug poignantly at the heartstrings.
Caramel has been described as being similar to Steel Magnolias. Indeed, there is one scene which is cringingly similar, and perhaps the only weak scene in the film. But this is a far superior film, staying in the middle of the road, rather than indulging in the melodrama of the film to which it has been compared.
Visually the film lives up to its sweet and sensual title, and is enhanced by a lovely soundtrack by Khaled Mouzannar. This isn’t an artistic or profound film, but it is thoroughly worthwhile. Furthermore, it is refreshing to see a film from the middle-east that reminds us that there is more to this beautiful region of the world than conflict and war.