Caramel (2008)

I have been wanting to see this one since I first saw it advertised a few years back. Just seemed to be one that I never came across at the video store, or remembered to look for. When it was finally shown on SBS a few months back, I taped it, and, you guessed it, forgot all about it! Finally stumbled across it again today, (gotta love a public holiday), and finally I can say I have seen this lovely movie. I heard it described as a very romantic film. It is and it kind of isn't. Though there is a lot of romance and romantic themes in it, it is firmly based in reality. There is potential for almost all in this film to have a romantic ending, but not all get it........SPOILERS........ Particularly sad in the case of the older lady caring for her old mother with dementia - you literally see her lose her courage. Pretty heartbreaking to think she missed her last chance at happiness, but on the other hand, you have to admire her selflessness in choosing to care for her mother. Mostly this follows the lives and friendship of four women and is based around the beauty salon three of them work in. It is set in Beirut, which also gives this movie a little something extra - I found this both exotic and totally alien to my own life. You could say this is a far cry from a friendship movie such as the Sex & the City films. This somehow had more substance, while still being quite a feel good movie. The main character Layale is involved with a married man, which obviously leads to tears. She becomes obsessed with his wife, Christine, who is such a lovely person even Layale kind of likes her, much to her confusion. Meanwhile, Layale can't see that the policeman who works across the road is secretly in love with her and a really nice guy. Nisrine is about to be married and has a secret - her husband is not her "first" (I can't imagine this being a scandal in a SATC, but here it is, again, very different culture), and she decides to take some extreme action to hide her secret. Rima is a lesbian and is attracted to a beautiful customer to the beauty store. This relationship is implied more than seen, but done nicely. I guess maybe that would be more scandalous in this culture also. And Jamale is an ageing aspiring actress who is divorced and feeling her age so badly she has resorted to taping her face and lying about still getting her period to make herself seem more youthfull. Her audition screen test is funny and also heartbreaking. I really felt for all the women in this movie. Really, really beautifully written characters and story and leaves plenty to your own imagination and interpretation. I will definitely be adding this one to my collection!