A Sad and Beautiful World

For many, life in Lebanon is a paradox – a country that simultaneously embodies the qualities of hope and despair (even though the focus tends to be more on the latter than the former). Nevertheless, both traits are present, and, in this latest feature from writer-director Cyril Aris, that seeming contradiction is brought down to a human level through this bittersweet love story. Set across three decades beginning in the 1990s, the film follows the youthful romance of childhood sweethearts Nino (Mohamad Farhat) and Yasmina (Alex Choueiry), classmates at a Beirut grade school who were born one minute apart on the same day. Their sweet, innocent attraction is truly endearing. But, when Nino and Yasmina, respectively, fall victim to the troubling conditions of their homeland and home life, they become separated. As fate would have it, though, they’re unexpectedly reunited years later as adults. In the interim, the elder Nino (Hasan Akil) has developed into an eternally optimistic restaurateur, while Yasmina (Mounia Akl) has become a skeptical, somewhat cynical government-contracted consultant. Still, the old feelings come flooding back, and they resume their relationship. However, life as adults is different than when they were children, and their respective outlooks and experiences have come to characterize their worldview of life in the conundrum that is Lebanon. Those conditions have turned their partnership more bitter than sweet, forcing them into making difficult choices, especially where their living arrangements and their young daughter, Amal (Valentina Hachem), are concerned. Will they be able to work things out? In theory, a story in which a pair of individuals whose personalities come to reflect the duality of their country’s character should make for an intriguing and engaging tale. However, their respective natures come across as so diametrically opposed to one another that it’s often difficult to understand how they ended up with one another in the first place. Indeed, is love itself enough? And where is the chemistry? It often feels more forced to fit the narrative than to tell a convincing and compelling tale. What’s more, the structure of the script is somewhat choppy and meandering through its alternating use of flashbacks and depictions of contemporary events. And, in contrast to the wording of the film’s title, the picture ultimately becomes more sad than beautiful, leaving viewers more depressed than hopeful, with attempts at correcting that impact somewhat insincere. That’s unfortunate, given that this release appeared to have potential, especially in its thoughtful premise. In today’s world, “A Sad and Beautiful World” is a label that could be applied to prevailing conditions in many nations, though it seems particularly fitting for a land like Lebanon, which repeatedly swings back and forth between opposite ends of the spectrum, just as it has for many years. It’s regrettable, though, that the finished product didn’t end up capturing that sentiment through its protagonists as effectively as it might have.