A Civilized People

Lebanese director Randa Chahal Sabbag spins this bleak war drama about the brutal absurdity of the urban warfare of Beirut during the 1980s. Opening with the shocking image of kittens being blown apart, the film loosely follows the travails of Bernadette (Nada Ghosn), a naïve country girl sent to the city as a maid for a mansion long since abandoned by the owners. There she meets Therese (Renee Dick), a veteran house cleaner who takes her under her wing. One day, while accompanying her friend to the cemetery, she meets a rakish Arab militiaman, and the two fall in love.

Cast

Jalila Baccar

Viviane

Tamim Chahal

Samir

Myrna Maakaron

Souad

Carmen Lebbos

Najat

Sotigui Kouyaté

Ousmane

Renée Dick

Thérèse

Bruno Todeschini

Antoine

Paul Mattar

The Mad Man

Hassan Mrad

Marwan