Examining the complexities of male and female relations via the perspective of those who are often treated like second class citizens, this Steel Magnolias-like portrait from first time director Nadine Labaki is an audience embracing, good natured, confidentially constructed crowd-pleaser that should easily makes waves on the international fest circuit. Despite its occasionally formulaic feel-good devices, the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title carries itself as a mature discussion of potential taboo subjects. Caramel is a story about desire, hope, longing and loneliness and in the end, shows that having a shoulder to cry on is a better remedy to the wellbeing than any existing comfort food.
The film’s yummy intro tells us that there are many uses for sugar. Not that uncommon in dark-pigment skin countries like Lebanon, once the white food additive is transformed; the caramelized goo becomes a treatment that helps in removing unwanted body hair. Co-written by Labaki, Jihad Hojeily and Rodney Al Hadad, the place where woman go to beautify them-selves also becomes the union place where personalities collectively struggle within a contemporary Lebanese society. From overly descriptive to subtly suggested, the fivesome of female characters that inhibit this corner shop also adorn the film with a sense of realism. Here the characters don’t pass judgment on one another, but the filmmaker passes judgment on ridiculous motivations of wanting to ‘re-become’ a virgin or hoping to live up to an image or idea of perfection.
Labaki is equally strong in front of the camera – she plays the film’s title character whose parents serve to remind her that she needs to find someone in order to continue traditional role of daughter-turned wife-turned mother. With a female audience demographic in mind, the screenplay is sometimes sheltered by keeping some of the fair light, but some subtle and not-so-subtle discussions on the subject of ageism, adultery and same sex attraction makes the multiple storyline narrative one big debate about equal rights among the sexes.
Surely to spark debate among Arab-speaking, Muslim and catholic practicing nations, Labaki borrows from comedic and dramatic elements to discuss more important issues – here apathy for those in pain and those of suffer is quantified in such scenes as the act of shampooing a customer’s head or an elderly women choosing to rub the freshly put makeup from right off her face. These are touching scenes that represent the vulnerability and the internal conflicts that have been weighed down by generations of a non pro-active society. In many regards, Labeki’s non-political film actually becomes a political message that passes judgment on society that discriminates based on sex, religion and age. Captured with honesty and brimming under a golden tinted hue, this will play well internationally.
Reviewed on May 20th, 2007- Cannes’ Quinzaine de Realisteurs/Directors’ Fortnight
Runtime: 96 min
