Cyril Aris Interview on A Sad And Beautiful World | “Lebanese Identity is Based on Choosing Whether to Leave or Stay”

They stand at polar opposites. In Lebanon, we’re very much affected by social, political and regional contexts. It shapes our relationship to our country and among ourselves. Yasmina does have some cynicism and pessimism in how she perceives the world but it’s not unjustified. It’s very much rooted in how the world treats her. Nino’s optimism could qualify as delusional at times, but it stems from a sort of compensation, a reaction to the same fact that turns Yasmina cynical. Interestingly, we all fall somewhere between Nino and Yasmina and they too swap places. This relationship brings out both the best and worst in them.

It’s interesting you say this, because it’s the main criterion I wanted from an actress playing Yasmina. Mounia does this so well. She has the mask of a person who’s aloof, yet you also notice the spark in her eyes, that childlike innocence waiting to be reignited and the only person in the world who could do that is Nino. You see the effect he has on her, why she keeps changing her plans just to fulfil what seems to be a predestined form of love.

Yes, she’s mainly a director and this is her first major role. She’d done some short films here and there and I was always drawn to her performances. It did take a bit of convincing. For her, it wasn’t just the concern of throwing herself into the adventure. She kept telling me she didn’t want to do a mess and wanted to do full justice to the character. But she deeply identified with Yasmina. She saw she was surrounded by people who aren’t professional actors, whether it be the chef in the restaurant, waitress, the kids.

When I wrote the first treatment, the stem of the idea, Lebanon was a very different country. It was before the financial collapse, the economic crisis, the port explosion, the conflicts in the region and the war with Israel. As this was happening, Lebanon was hitting many low points. These spilled into the screenplay. I was deeply affected by the negativity, hovering darkness over Beirut and Lebanon. My producers helped in refocusing the story to the couple and ensuring they stay at the forefront. It’s interesting because I did write drafts where the country is almost inexistent. It was

trying to figure out what was happening within the couple regardless of the social contexts and political repercussions of Lebanon’s situation. Of course, the two are inextricable. But we did do this exercise to draw the emotional map of the couple, and then reinserting the social and political environment. It was an evolution of my own perception of the country and finding a balance restored along the way.

I’m glad you are mentioning the keyhole scene because it’s the most emotional scene for the couple. This is where they are saying they will separate, the gravitational force keeping them together is now tearing them apart. Jean Renoir said something along the lines of: the warmer the topic, the colder the treatment. In this highly emotional conversation, I knew we shouldn’t see their faces in entirety. The keyhole is a metaphor for the distance. There’s a veil in the conversation. I was also trying to step away from an overly emotional face. I was very attracted to both the actors’ eyes. This is one of the main things while I cast for the film. This particular scene was written into the script but a bunch of other scenes and their choices were crucially shaped by my wonderful DP, Joe. I’ve been working with him since 2016. We’ve done documentaries, short films and commercials together. I think of him as my closest ally on set.

The archival came very early in post-production. It was a conversation I had with my editor, Nat Sanders, who’s American and doesn’t know much about Lebanon. We watched the assembly and his first thought was we need some guidance on where we are, politically and historically. Of course, we don’t need all the inner workings of Lebanese politics but whether a certain period is of war or crisis or prosperity.

Exactly, one that’d anchor your perception of the periods. They found a way in when I started writing Yasmina’s letters as voiceover. It’s both her perception and entwined with the archival footage that informs the texture.

Well, it’s a combination of both (smiles). A lot of the HODs, the line producer, the sound mixer, is a collection of people I’m used to working with. Sometimes, the communication is very transparent because we are so familiar with each other. But going to set never felt like a chore. It just felt like meeting up as friends to do yet another project.

It’s an integral part. When we have gatherings with friends or family over Lebanese food, it tends to be two or three hours of appetizers, main course, the desserts, fruits, somebody smoking a sheeshah. It’s not for nothing Lebanese food is popular all over the world. I love it when film activates the sense of taste. Films are a sensual medium. Unlocking the third sense can bring Lebanon closer.

The other aspect is the evolution of Nino’s restaurant could be a mirror for the social landscape around him. I told my cinematographer and production designer that every time you take a screenshot of food in the film, you get an emotional map of the couple, their evolution as well as the country’s. Initially, the food appears very saturated and vibrant but increasingly gets blander by the latter chapters.

I do tend not to rehearse with the script. We sent Hasan and Tino Karam (Chafic) to cooking classes. We rehearsed their entire backstory, how they became best friends, how Nino spotted Chafic in a different restaurant and made the offer, the interview. So, once they come on set, it’s already charged with years of friendship and drama. For Nino and Yasmina, there had to be a magnetic attraction. Interestingly, in the latter stretches, Hasan and Mounia deliberately created an atmosphere of misunderstanding. I’d tell them on set not to speak to each other. So, their cinematic friction would flow into their real-life interactions.

I do relate more with Yasmina. While writing, I was in line with her thoughts, what she was standing for. But I’ve also wanted to be like Nino. You do long for the forced optimism. The Lebanese identity is very much based on choosing to leave versus choosing to stay. There’s this migration that’s been present since the inception of the country, mass waves of immigration in the ‘70s and ‘80s during the civil war. More recently, in 2019-2020, a huge flock of people moved to different countries. That makes the question of Lebanese identity divisive. Talking about it isn’t as much of a conscious choice as it just seeps into the work. It’s the existential question confronted by my generation, the one before and it goes way back over several generations. When you look at the history of Lebanese cinema, you see it getting transmitted from film to film. As an Indian, you too can relate because India does export a lot of qualified labor, but the affection for the country remains because friends and family remain. So, this question can transcend the Lebanese border.

I was going to name her! (laughs) There’s Dania Bdeir, whose short film, Warsha (2022), is on Criterion. It’d won the top award at Sundance. Ahmed Ghossein, whose debut feature, All This Victory (2019), was at Venice Critics’ Week, is fantastic. He’s working on his second film. There are lots of interesting filmmakers. The Zarazir brothers have a bunch of hilarious short films. I think they just completed their first feature. They do something unusual with the region. There’s immense talent and it’s no coincidence you see Lebanese talents on the world stage.

The problem is you want to stand out, but there are eighty countries or more you’re up against. The battle is with mightier studios, bigger powers that can organize multiple screenings across various cities, mount aggressive campaigns. Ours is a smaller film. But the fact our film is playing in these festivals across several countries does create some sort of momentum.

Yeah, I’m shopping around. I’m writing a family story in the same tone also set in Lebanon. There’s another film that’s more pan-Arab set across several countries with a bigger canvas. I’m also reading few books to toy with what I could potentially adapt. I’m hoping to settle on something soon (smiles).