Hard Light Cinema

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This screening will be free admission with donations strongly encouraged. All proceeds will be donated to Gaza Soup Kitchen, a grassroots organization that provides meals to Gazans in need.

Samar, a child of the Lebanese Civil War, finds relief from the chaos around her through Egyptian movies she watches on television. Karim, an artist in retreat from life, remains in his apartment in war-torn West Beirut, confident that he is safe in his familiar neighborhood. An unlikely bond is formed between the two as they face the devastating civil war.

— TMDB

This film was originally released with the English title A Suspended Life, which in many ways sums up what Jocelyne Saab is exploring: when each day could be your last, empty buildings surround you, and war looms over everything you do, how do you plan for a future? Dreams become a refuge and survival tactic all their own.

Saab’s background is in journalism and documentary work, which is apparent in this film. Much like how two protagonists of different generations and lifestyles combine into one story, so do the documentary and narrative style of the film – reality and dreams, bloodshed and love, silence and noise.

It is difficult to put into words what so grabs me about this film. It’s rather unique in that regard. The imagery is the most immediately striking element, but the story itself is quite moving. Young girls who are forced to grow up before their childhood ends due to war and occupation. Older and younger generations who see themselves in each other. For better or worse, war has equalized them. Life goes on around the rubble, and shelled-out buildings become the stage for fantasy. There’s a shared need for escape – through the cinema, through poetry, or through one’s own artistic existence. Life during wartime is not and cannot only be about war.

“Butterflies burn and die in the light.” “Maybe they’re happy that way.”

— Lewis Peterson, Hard Light Cinema