Capernaum (2018)

Capernaum follows Zain, a tough, worldwise 12-year-old from Beirut’s poorest neighborhoods, who shocks the court by suing his parents for giving him life. Through a raw, flashback-driven narrative we watch Zain fight to survive amid squalor and crushing debt: he cares for an Ethiopian migrant worker, Rahil, and her infant son Yonas, navigates an overcrowded, indifferent city, and is ultimately driven to a violent act that lands him in jail. The film traces the small daily cruelties and a final, heartbreaking tipping point that push a child from resourceful survivor to a boy demanding accountability. Watching Capernaum is an intense, unflinching experience: the filmmaking feels immediate and documentary-like, powered by naturalistic performances (notably Zain al‑Rafeea) and harsh, intimate imagery of life on the margins. It’s emotionally searing and morally complex — you’ll feel anger, sorrow, and deep empathy as the film exposes systemic neglect, migration struggles, and the failures of family and state. Expect to leave unsettled but moved: Capernaum is less about tidy answers and more about witnessing a young life crushed by poverty and injustice, and the desperate pursuit of recognition and redress that follows.

Actors: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole

Director: Nadine Labaki

Runtime: 126 min

Genre: Drama

7.8 /10 75 /100 8.4 /10 7.9 /10