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Capernaum, 2018

Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) lives in a Lebanese slum with his many siblings--including beloved sistar Sahar (Cedra Izzam)--and his indifferent, cruel parents Selim (Fadi Yousef) and Souad (Kawsar Al Haddad). After a particularly nasty fight over his parents' intent to sell Sahar to their landlord, Zain strikes out on his own where he meets Ethiopian immigrant Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw), who agrees to take Zain in in exchange for Zain babysitting her child Yonas (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole) while she works. But some unexpected circumstances leave Zain with far more responsibility than he expected.

It's hard to know where to start with this film, an emotional rollercoaster that stays anchored in Al Rafeea's striking and stirring performance as Zain. The film could easily be a misery slog, but his spirit and ambition keeps the film on the right side of not simply drowning in pessimism and pain.

Big kudos to whoever found Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, because she is an absolute treasure just as her name suggests, and her chemistry with Al Rafeea gives a pure heart and soul to a story we know is going to break our hearts. Their scenes together provide a perfectly aimed double-edged sword, as Zain hauling Yonas around in a repurposed skateboard/washtub combination is both adorable and tragic. Having to care for Yonas showcases Zain's ingenuity and perseverance, but it's much more than should ever be asked of a child. It's remarkable to learn that Al Rafeea was not only a non-professional actor (as were most of the cast), but that he himself was a refugee.

I read a glowing review of the film that praised it for "finally" having the courage to make a film that asks whether or not it's moral to have children if you live in poverty. And to that, like, LOL WHAT?! The real issue with Zain's family is not their poverty---though obviously that exacerbates many of their problems--but rather the attitude that the parents take toward their children. Their children are an inconvenience and, at times, a commodity to be sold. Rahil, who also lives in poverty, shows us the reverse side of this dynamic. She is incredibly loving toward Yonas and even toward Zain. She is nurturing and does her best to provide, setting aside her pride. I had a student a few years back who arrived to my summer school classroom very rattled. On the way to school her mother had been pulled over by a police officer for a minor traffic violation, but she had some other issue that involved her having to go down to the police station. At this point she had to tell the officer that she'd left her baby unattended in the house. What I think the film highlights mainly is the Matthew effect and its impact on the people in the most desperate situation. Rahil has no resources she can call on: no family, and no social structures in place to help her without risking the loss of her child. Zain's parents aren't bad people because they're having children while impoverished---they are people who are impoverished and they are bad people.

What I think the film gets absolutely right is the heavy cost of social indifference. Yes, there are some overtly villainous characters, like the man who exploits Rahil's need for new papers and wants to sell her baby, Zain's parents, and the man who marries and has sex with Zain's eleven year old sister. But there are so many people who don't even look twice at Zain as he carts around an infant, and when a character needs medical care but doesn't have papers, the hospital refuses to admit her. There will always be immoral people out there, but when so many in a society are willing to turn a blind eye, that's when serious, long-lasting damage happens. The film does show that people are willing to help at times--such as the woman at the food bank who clearly doesn't buy Zain's story but gives him supplies anyway---but with so many people needing help and attention, even they are stretched thin.

Very moving film that gets its message across without ever leaning so hard into despair that you disconnect.