Film Review: “Khalass” - Borhane Alaouié
Lebanese director Borhane Alaouié’s film “Khalass” recently released on DVD is a contemplative view of post-war Beirut - as are most of his films - with more personal involvement than any of his previous works.
Although the movie is a 2007 release, the time of the narrative is somewhat vague, but thanks to the landscapes and soundtrack we can roughly assume it’s set in early 2000.
The cinematography, dialogues and general feel suggest a 90s era depiction of Beirut; it’s as if the director is trying to convey the stillness of the socio-political situation regardless of the time frame.
Alaouié’s deepest sentiments of the city and the people inhabiting it shine through: his odd and prominent association between the intertwined fates of alley cats and Men throughout the movie, the main character Ahmad’s struggle to make ends meet as a poetic journalist turned crook, that ends up costing him his job and his lover… Alaouié goes as far as to include himself in a single scene of the movie, seemingly a father figure to his once young self.
“Khalass” ends on a rather harsh and somber note, with dreams crushed and hearts broken, in a city where the people seem to be coasting rather than living, with nothing but futile occupations to fill their gaping voids.
One thing is for sure; it certainly doesn’t come from a “glass half full” point of view.
Diane Farah
