Unexpectedly, Jana is back in Beirut. In Paris, she has abandoned her art studies and countless odd jobs. What motivated Jana’s abrupt return remains uncertain. Back with her parents, it is difficult to readjust and attend to her former life, family, and friends. Only Adam seems to grasp Jana’s plight – together they embark on an atmospheric trip through the city at night. While the newly built city quarters pass by contemplatively like ghost towns, and the camera tries to catch glimpses of the sea amidst new urban architecture, breath-taking shots of Beirut with multilayered visual and acoustic atmospheres frame the protagonists’ existential emptiness. In this compelling debut feature, Ely Dagher entwines the becoming of a crisis-ridden Beirut with young Jana’s pursuit of meaning and identity.
Credits
Screenplay: Ely Dagher
Cast: Fadi Abi Samra, Manal Issa, Rabih El Zaher, Roger Azar, Yara Abou Haidar
Cinematography: Shadi Chaaban
Editing: Léa Masson, Ely Dagher
Art Director: Sabine Sabbagh
Music: Joh Dagher
Producer: Arnaud Dommerc
CoPproducer: Benoit Roland
Intro
Intro-Performance by Nour Shantout