Cinema Staziun Lavin - WELTFILMTAGE: A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD

WELTFILMTAGE - A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD

Lebanon 2025 / Director: Cyril Aris

Nino and Yasmina are born on the same day, in the same hospital, just one minute apart, while civil war rages outside. Close friends as children, they lose touch when Yasmina moves away and don’t meet again until twenty years later. It’s love at second sight—but their visions of life and a future together could hardly be more different, as their personal experiences and the country’s political turmoil have left their mark. Director and screenwriter Cyril Aris crafts a gripping love story that unfolds over three decades and reflects Lebanon’s recent past.

Beirut, today: Nino runs his own restaurant, “Chez Nino,” where the lovable slacker, along with his best friend and the friend’s heavily pregnant girlfriend, whips up innovative dishes. He is an unshakable optimist whose outlook on life stems from the early loss of his parents. Yasmina, on the other hand, takes a more skeptical view of a reality shaped by political, economic, and personal crises. The busy government advisor is shaping the country’s economic future, but already has one foot abroad. When fate brings the two childhood friends back together as adults, it’s soon love at first sight. But what begins as a wonderful twist of fate is soon overtaken by the uncertain realities of life in Lebanon: How does one plan for a stable future in a place whose present is constantly teetering on the brink?

The story of Nino and Yasmina becomes a mirror of a country caught between hope and disillusionment. Spanning three decades, Cyril Aris tells the story of a great love shaped as much by mutual attraction as by differing life plans. Mounia Akl, who is actually a director (Costa Brava, Lebanon), delivers a brilliant performance in her first film role, and the charismatic Hasan Akil embodies Nino with such an unshakably positive attitude that one can all too easily understand Yasmina’s frustration at his refusal to face the bitter truths. The chemistry is there—but the playful direction also captivates with its energy, dynamic camerawork, and skillfully employed time jumps, through which Cyril Aris’s first feature film spans three decades. Anthony Sahyoun’s electronic soundtrack contributes to the ethereal atmosphere, sounding at once bright and hopeful, yet also contemplative and introspective. The romantic drama was met with enthusiasm in Venice in 2025 (winning the Audience Award at the Giornate degli autori) and was Lebanon’s entry for the 2026 Oscars. A film that is as tender as it is intelligent, exploring the power of love, the search for belonging, and the courage to believe in a shared future despite all adversity.

Drama, Language: Arabic/German/French+Italian, 110 min., rated for ages 12 and up.

Please use the advance ticket sales service: www.staziun-lavin.ch; a few remaining tickets will be available at the box office starting at 7:30 p.m.