Taking its title from the sugary substance that is also used as a Middle Eastern depilatory (substituting for hot wax), co-writer-director-star Nadine Labaki's debut film Caramel differs from other salon-centric movies (such as Beauty Shop) by virtue of its locale: Beirut, Lebanon. Neighborhood beauty parlor owner Layale (Labaki), a beautiful stylist in love with a married man, appears to be so preoccupied with her affair that she fails to notice bashful beat cop Youssef (Adel Karam), who issues her a steady stream of traffic citations. Other salon regulars include Muslim bride-to-be Nisrine (Yasmine Elmasri), sexually ambiguous assistant Rima (Joanna Moukarzel), age-obsessed actress Jamale (Gisèle Aouad), and lonely seamstress Rose (Sihame Haddad). Aside from their reduced circumstances—Layale lives at home and shares a room with her brother—the central quartet bring to mind the all-for-one Manhattanites of Sex and the City. Compared to most Western-oriented women's pictures, Caramel is as modest as the culture it depicts—Rima's attraction to the same sex, for instance, is merely suggested—but Labaki's abundant compassion for her characters helps to offset some of the film's too-familiar situations. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a six-minute interview with director Nadine Labaki, and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for a small but charming film.] (K. Fennessy)
Caramel
Lionsgate, 93 min., in Arabic & French w/English subtitles, PG, DVD: $27.99, June 17 Volume 23, Issue 4
Caramel
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