What It’s About
In war-torn Beirut, restauranteur Nino (Akil) and business executive Yasmina (Akl) are reunited when Nino plows his car into Yasmina’s mother’s storefront. Via flashbacks, we witness their close bond as children, with both dreaming of “The Island”, a safe haven where the power stays on and no bombs fall. Though they seem destined for each other and Nino is game, the career-focused Yasmina, the product of a broken family, is wary of commitment. Will she stick to her plan of escaping Beirut, or stay and make a life with Nino?
Why We Love It
This winning, perceptive romance explores the challenges of sustaining a loving relationship in a place marked by continual conflict and turbulence. The two leads play virtual opposites: Nino’s a sunny optimist, while Yasmina’s more complex and cautious. Yet the film makes abundantly clear how much they bring to each other. Director Aris’s narrative debut is remarkably assured, bursting with humanity and a resonant core message: life can be chaotic, even tragic, but miraculously, also beautiful at the same time.