After running away from his negligent parents, committing a violent crime and being sentenced to five years in jail, a hardened, streetwise 12-year-old Lebanese boy sues his parents in protest of the life they have given him.
Acting
Zain Al Rafeea's non-professional performance shatters you.
Direction
Labaki spent three years in Beirut slums for authenticity.
Cinematography
Handheld chaos meets unexpected beauty in rubble.
Director
Nadine Labaki
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Zain Al Rafeea was an actual Syrian refugee who'd never acted before; his real-life ID listed no birth date, so the production created one for him.
The title refers to Capernaum, a biblical town where Jesus performed miracles — Labaki uses it ironically, as no miracles arrive for these children.
LB
