Author: Wang Jinyue
The Lebanese film "Why Home" (aka "Capernaum") has been released since April 29, and the schedule of the film on the day is 14%, and the box office on the first day is only 12.25 million, which has not received much attention from the market. However, in the face of the Hollywood movie "Avengers 4", which dominates the film market, "How to Be Home" finally walked out of its own way of rising against the trend, and by May 4, the schedule rose to 15.6%, with a single-day box office of 30 million.
"How to Be Home" is filmed in a documentary way, and the scenes in the film are not whitewashed, making people feel as if they have seen a real life scene. Director Nadine Labaki recently appeared at the 9th Beijing International Film Festival and had face-to-face exchanges with Chinese audiences and filmmakers. "What a Home" was highly acclaimed in China, and audiences expressed their admiration for Nadine Labaki's courage to face reality.
Born in Lebanon, 45-year-old Nadine Labaki received her degree in audiovisual studies from St. Joseph's University in Beirut in 1997. In 2005, she attended a writing camp at the Cannes Film Festival and wrote her debut feature film Caramel, which she directed and starred in. Nadine's second film, Where Do We Go, also written, directed and starred by herself, premiered in the "A Kind of Attention" section of the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. As an actress, she has starred in films such as "Fault", "The Price of Glory", "Stray Bullet" and "Passion Kasbah".
Reporter: What was your original intention in filming "Why Home"?
Director: I feel that it is necessary for me to question this pre-established social system and the contradictions it brings through my films, and even to change this system. At the beginning of "What a Home," I thought of themes: illegal immigration, child abuse, migrant workers, the concept of borders, and its absurdities. We must prove our existence through a piece of paper that is ineffective in the face of racism, bullying and disregard for the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Reporter: How did you come up with the idea of using a child's perspective to reflect these themes?
Director: The idea of making this film around the issue of "childhood masochism" came about during a "brainstorming." I saw a scene that broke my heart: I came back from a party around 1 a.m., and under my window I saw a child half asleep in his mom's arms, and his mom was sitting on the tarmac begging. What hit me the hardest was that the two-year-old didn't cry, he seemed to just want to sleep, and the image of him with his eyes closed was always in my head. When I got home, I felt like I had to do something, and I painted a picture of a child crying at his parents and blaming them for bringing him into the world, which is the original intention of the film. The reason for starting with children is also because this can affect the second half of our lives.
Reporter: Do you think movies can change reality?
Director: "What a Home" tells the story of 12-year-old Zane. Zane decided to sue his parents for bringing him into the world without giving him what he deserved, even if it was just a little love. Like all those who have been neglected by our system, we can see the world's rebuke of them through their clear eyes.
I see film as a means of questioning the current whole system, as well as the self, by showing my view of the world in which I live. The movie "What a Home" depicts a disturbing and bloody reality. I'm very idealistic, especially I believe that film can change the world. I firmly believe that if not change the status quo, movies can at least cause topics and controversy, or provoke people to think.
Rather than merely lamenting the fate of this child being displaced on the street, I would rather choose to use my profession as a weapon, hoping to truly help these children's lives, and only through film to help people realize this situation can they really make a difference.
Reporter: The personal experiences of all the actors in the film are very close to the characters in the film. Why did you choose that?
Director: Yeah, Zane's real life is very similar to his character in some ways. The same goes for Rahir, who is a mother without legal status. For the character of Zane's mother, I was inspired by a woman I met who had 16 children and lived in the same circumstances as in the movie. All six of her children were dead, and the others were in the orphanage because she couldn't take care of them.
I've always been in favor of using the word "play" in performance, especially in "What a Home": absolute trust is key. I want to thank all those who used this film as a voice for themselves. It's important that the actors understand the environment we're showing because they're in that environment.
Reporter: What are the similarities between movies and real life?
Director: There are countless similarities that make this adventure full of magic. Two days after we filmed Rahil's arrest at an Internet café, Yodanos Hiferro, who plays Rahil, was actually arrested for his identity. When she was sent to jail in the movie and started crying, her tears were real because she went through that experience. The same goes for Jonas, whose biological parents were arrested during the filming. All these moments when story and reality are combined undoubtedly contribute to the authenticity of this film.
Reporter: The film adopts the documentary approach, is this intentional?
Director: "What a Home" is fictional, a synthesis of the elements of life that I have come into contact with and seen. But there is no element of imagination or fiction in the details, on the contrary, everything you see is the result of my experience of going deep into poor areas, detention centers, and juvenile prisons.
I was alone, wearing sunglasses and a hat to observe these. Through three years of research, I realized that I was dealing with a complex and sensitive issue that was foreign to me and therefore touched me even more.
I had to believe the story before I could tell it. After experiencing these tragedies first-hand, the actors only have to be themselves. That's why the shoot lasted 6 months and we ended up with over 520 hours of footage.
Reporter: As a Lebanese film, does "Why Home" have universal significance? What does Zane's big smile on the screen mean at the end?
Director: In terms of its production and location, it is definitely a Lebanese film. However, this story is about all those who do not have access to basic rights, education, health and love. The characters in this dark world are a symptom of an era.
Zane manages to gain legal status at the end of the film, where Rahir is reunited with her son. In real life, we have also sought to legitimize their situation in Lebanon. Zane Al Rafia (who plays Zane in the film) went to Sweden and was educated, and he himself learned responsibility, hoping to change something.
This time, I don't want the reunion ending to only appear on the screen, I hope that the controversy caused by the film will play a role in real life. "What a Home" gives the actors a space where their pain and cries are heard, and that's victory.
We also hope to promote the enactment of bills in Lebanon for those responsible. Establish a sound social system foundation for the protection of abused and neglected children. Give children a simple environment, rather than having their births just the will of God or the result of the fulfillment of sexual impulses. (Wang Jinyue)