Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Head of the Russian delegation to the talks in Turkey: The Russian-Ukrainian talks yielded good results.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine: Martyrs and wounded after an IOF aircraft bombed a house in Tal al-Zaatar, north of the Gaza Strip.
Libya: The Libyan Ministry of Health declares a state of maximum emergency in all hospitals to support medical staff working in Tripoli and its suburbs.
Libya: Demonstrations in several Libyan cities demand the overthrow of the Dbeibah government.
Italian Foreign Ministry: We are following developments in Libya with concern and reiterate our call for all parties to return to calm and dialogue.
Libya: Demonstration in Bani Walid calls for the overthrow of the Dbeibah government and holding it accountable.
Libya: Sabratha Municipal Council supports the overthrow of the Dbeibah government and calls on it to leave.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine: The IOF is carrying out massive bombing operations in the northern Gaza Strip.
Tunisian Foreign Ministry: We renew our call for an immediate end to the escalation in all parts of Libya.
Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: We express our deep concern over the dangerous security developments in the Libyan capital.

The Adventures of a Mother... - A unique entry to Lebanese cinema

  • By Ali Hamouch
  • Source: Al Mayadeen English
  • 4 Sep 2022 17:30
4 Min Read

Though its relatively short runtime of 1h4m, this fascinating new Lebanese film manages to place the viewer front and center of this viscerally visual, and highly emotional, experience.

  • x
  • The Adventures of a Mother... - A unique entry in Lebanese cinema
    The film's protagonist, the mother, played brilliantly by Nay Abou Fayad (Photo courtesy of James Chehab)

In a landscape filled to the brim with media that is meant to be consumed, it feels like a breeze of fresh air to find a film that demands you to focus on every frame and ‘experience’ it.

Such is the case with young Lebanese filmmaker James Chehab’s first feature-length film, the uniquely yet aptly titled The Adventures of a Mother and Her Daughters on Their Quest for the Meaning of Life and Other Important Things.

Despite that Chehab wrapped post-production in 2021 and has already had the chance of screening it in multiple festivals in Europe and L.A. - where it won the Silver Horizon Award at the Hollywood Arab Film Festival -, the film finally had its Lebanese premiere on Friday, September 2, 2022, at the Lebanese Independent Film Festival (LIFF).

If the title does not inspire “comfort viewing”, it is because it is the farthest away from it. Though its relatively short length of 64 minutes, the film manages to place the viewer front and center of this viscerally visual, and highly emotional, experience, as the protagonist of the film (played splendidly by Nay Abou Fayad) is contemplating life from her perspective as the mother of three young daughters, Farah, Lynn and Nour (played by Sienna Beyrouthi, Sarah-Marie Kobeh & Tamara Ghaddaf), while she struggles to come to term with her place in life with a heavily mentioned yet completely absent husband/father.

Chehab, in his feature directorial debut, manages to immerse us in the everyday thoughts, feelings, and minutia of the seemingly normal four characters. Every scene brings us closer to the psyche of the mother, tormented yet at peace with the reality she has molded from the fragments of her role as a mother and the wife of an absent man. Mixing intimate theatricality with intricately constructed dazzling cinematography (Chehab himself is the director of photography), in addition to a hefty reliance on home video footage shot mostly by the actors in scene, the film succeeds in painting an absorbing – at times challenging to follow – jigsaw puzzle that dares to question the pillars forming life: God, heaven, earth, hell and, as the title suggests, the meaning of it all.

Largely devoid of the much-maligned mainstream spectacle trickery and embracing its independent nature (the ultra-low-budget picture, solely financed by the director, is Chehab's master's thesis at the IESAV film institute, Beirut), the film restricts the scope of its ensemble cast but more than makes up for it with its honest mise-en-scene and its accompanying framing that boldly states its grandiose ambitions with these little characters as they embark on their quest, unbeknownst to them. One cannot help but think of a simpler Bergman picture, or a snippet of a Terrence Malick scene, when observing tender passages of the film.

  • The Adventures of a Mother... - A unique entry in Lebanese cinema
    Grandiose ambitions with little characters (Photo courtesy of James Chehab)

The Adventures of a Mother is not a film for all, and it suffers from a few pacing issues which hinder the sincere imagery it tries to project, in addition to unintentionally erecting a wall of inaccessibility in certain scenes - which eventually gets torn down by a display of intimacy between the mother and her daughters, pushing one to wonder at times whether this is not simply an elaborate documentary.

This unique feature does not cater to anyone in particular, instead, it attempts to openly share the questions it ponders upon with its audience, becoming at times an inviting experience while still challenging our perception of the everyday and everyone. Chehab’s first feature is a flawed yet immensely engaging, sincerely written, and visually dazzling film that aims at immersing and exploring, rather than imposing. A great addition to the growing list of Lebanese films that reinvent the masses’ perception of what Lebanese films are.

The Adventures of a Mother and Her Daughters on Their Quest for the Meaning of Life and Other Important Things.

Related News

Russia, China to discuss plans to establish Eurasian film academy

Filmmaker uses toy Hot-Wheel cars to create stop-motion chase scenes

Directed by: James Chehab

Screenplay by: James Chehab, Evelyne Hlais & Nay Abou Fayad

Director of Photography: James Chehab

Original Music by: Scarlet Saad

Starring:

Nay Abou Fayad 

Sienna Beyrouthi 

Sarah-Marie Kobeh 

Tamara Ghaddaf

Runtime: 64 min

Genre: Drama

Language: Arabic 

  • Filmmaking
  • Films
  • Film Festivals
  • Filmmakers
  • Lebanon
  • Lebanese films
  • Cinema

Most Read

Two F-35 jets arrive at it's new operational base Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Hill Air Force Base, in northern Utah. (AP)

F-35 near-misses over Yemen signal new risks for 'Israel': Forbes

  • Politics
  • 14 May 2025
Palestinians pray over bodies of people killed in the Israeli bombardment who were brought from the Shifa hospital before burying them in a mass grave in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. (AP )

Gaza casualty figures mask a much bigger horror, new study shows

  • Politics
  • 11 May 2025
Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

Gaza and the logic of necropolitics: Sovereignty measured by killing

  • Politics
  • 15 May 2025
Abu Obaida

Abu Obeida posts shortly after Israeli reports about his assassination

  • Palestine
  • 15 May 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza
MENA

Israeli media: Yemen may push 'Israel' towards ceasefire in Gaza

Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Friday, May 16, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Trump administration planning to send 1 million Palestinians to Libya

President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Monday, April 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
Politics

'Israel' concerned, says US withholding info about indirect Iran talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the annual ceremony at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in occupied al-Quds on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu cancels Vatican visit over fears of ICC arrest

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS