Heaven Without People

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Casting B As a Lebanese expat living in Toronto, watching Heaven Without People felt like an emotional journey back home. The film takes its time to start but brilliantly captures the complexity of a Lebanese family gathering, with all the underlying tensions, unspoken resentments, and moments of genuine love. The way the characters interact is so authentic that I could see my own relatives in them, which made the experience incredibly personal. Such a unique film. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/02/24 Full Review Audience Member Heaven Without People is indeed a gripping film that follows a family of different age groups gathered together for Easter lunch by the family matriarch, Josephine. The action all takes place at Josephine and her husband's home with the main focus being the family and their dialogue as they are gathered around the lunch table. The film portrays the intricacies of an intimate Lebanese family lunch that slowly develops into a tense ordeal as the discussions being had delve into the socio-political and economic predicaments prevailing in Lebanon and affecting each family member. The family dialogues touch upon main topics such as sectarianism, elections, corruption, immigration and even the complex problem of electricity outage that Lebanon and Lebanese families still face in this day and age. In an unusually natural camera frame, this family is presented as a microcosm of the Lebanese society in its polemical struggles and diversities. What makes this film very special is the creative unfiltered script and natural cast as well as the original cinematography utilizing long uninterrupted shots that capture the characters and discussions in a very natural and non-contrived manner, giving a feeling of authenticity to the whole setting and allowing us to feel as if we are right there with them. Indeed the director diverts from the polished and highly edited picture that we are used to in favor of a handheld camera and more uninterrupted scenes than usual, panning in on intellectual yet relatable conversations that must've been rehearsed in order to be somewhat effortlessly executed the way they were. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member I loved the authenticity and piercing simplicity of the movie. It delivers subtle yet powerful messages idiosyncratic to the Lebanese community. Great work by Lucien BouRjeily and team. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Such a great movie, saw it trending in Lebanon. Gathered up the family! We all loved it. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Heaven Without People

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