Caramel (Lebanese: سكر بنات Sukkar banat‎),

Movie: Caramel (Sukkar banat)

Year: 2007

Director: Nadine Labaki

Language: Arabic

Synopsis: Somewhere in Beirut you have this small beauty salon run by these three ladies Layale, Nisrine and Rima. Each one has a problem: Layale is stuck in a dead-end relationship with a married man; Nisrine is no longer a virgin but is set to be married and in her conservative family pre-marital sex is not accepted; Rima is attracted to women; Jamale, a regular customer and wannabe actress, is worried about getting old; Rose, a tailor with a shop next to the salon, is an old woman who had devoted her life to taking care of her mentally unbalanced older sister Lili, but has found her first love. As they share their happiness and their sorrow you find a beautiful support system which leaves you with a warm nice feeling

My Own Take: Chances are very high that you might be mesmerized by the beauty of Nadine Labaki. I surely was. I was trying to search on the net if the movie is semi-autobiographical to understand how the flow of the movie is so very smooth and pleasing. But haven't found anything supporting my view. If you have ever been in a relationship that you knew would never work out, but you were clinging on to it for fear of losing it, you will know what Layale goes through. I know its easy to hear somebody say to you that its a sign of being weak and that you must stop treating yourself like a doormat etc. but when the familiar horn beeps and you see Layale run your heart goes out to her. Or when the cell phone doesnt ring and you see her checking the network you would know what i mean if you have been there. The way the story is told is so subtle and with such minimal antics that it makes you feel good. And the most important fact is that the movie ends on a note of hope :). strongly recommended for a sunday afternoon watch.