Digital Cahier
Jan 28, 20221 min
Middle Eastern cinema continues to surprise. This time it is a one-night story from Lebanon – FALAFEL (2006) by debutant Michel Kammoun that picks up a group of young men and women whose casual fun at a flat in Beirut takes an unpredictable turn when a couple go out on a ride on a borrowed scooter and gets embroiled in a fracas with a ‘very important man’. Consumed by rage, the upset youth seeks to find the man, determined to kill him. In the guise of a mock thriller, the film lays bare the contradictions that permeate the Lebanese society, making it immensely political. Ultimately, it is a sweet little film that reaffirms its faith in basic human values and filial love. It is the casual unfolding of the plot that defies any traditional narrative template that makes the film so endearing and relevant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUSqgBk7Mfc
Look it up on Netflix.
Ranjan Das is a Mumbai based filmmaker and faculty.