Director Cyril Aris’s A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD tells a story that can and has collapsed into a maudlin heap many times on film. However, the gentle chemistry of the romantic leads, the dexterity with which the film handles the passage of time, and the sincerity of relatable themes refracted through a Lebanese prism make the film an affecting and engaging romantic drama.

After an opening that establishes both lead characters were born minutes apart in the same hospital during an Israeli attack, we shift to modern Beirut. Nino (Hasan Akil), who lost his parents many years ago, runs the restaurant Chez Nino. While driving, his car is hit by a flurry of papers discarded from an apartment, causing him to crash into an office. This incident leads to a meeting with Yasmina (Mounia Akl), whose mother owned the office, and to some amusing interactions between him and her family. There is clearly a spark of connection between the two, and it becomes clear that the pair were childhood loves, each with a storied past. The film relays their past in flashbacks before we move forward into their future together, and how their lives growing up in Beirut shape who they are and become.

“The strongest pillar of A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD is the delightful chemistry between the leads.”

The strongest pillar of A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD is the delightful chemistry between the leads. From their initial screentime together, the gentle verbal sparring they engage in has an endearingly playful quality. In particular, Mounia Akl’s small gestures during a phone call, whilst ostensibly trying to ignore Nino, such as adjusting her hair or looking up warmly, establish an early affection that subverts any clichéd notions of a workaholic finding romance. The pair of performances illustrates a growing romantic connection without resorting to inelegant appeals to emotion based on loaded monologues or manipulative musical cues. The film is a realistic, naturalistic portrait of a relationship spanning many decades, but what gives it an interesting, unique streak is the backdrop of conflict and how it affects those in the foreground.

“The film is a realistic, naturalistic portrait of a relationship spanning many decades, but what gives it an interesting, unique streak is the backdrop of conflict and how it affects those in the foreground.”

Throughout the film, elements of Lebanese and Beirut life impact the characters in ways that do not stop them from living but indelibly alter the paths they feel are open to them. Money is affected by restrictions on withdrawals from Lebanese banks. Yasmina’s work as a consultant is affected by the viability of a Beirut office. Casual but painful jokes are made about the stability of the city’s electricity supply. The film rarely lingers on the stress inflicted, but in weaving in such moments, it continually emphasises how it permeates every aspect of the characters’ experiences. When home feels fragile, life itself inevitably feels more precarious.

Arguably, the film presents a cushier vision of suffering than many films. However, that would be to miss the fact that A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD – as the title implies – bases its story more in melancholia than trauma. When Aris juxtaposes Yasmina’s departure by car with a flashback to her leaving her father by similar means, it clearly places the film’s thesis in the notion that societal turmoil begets personal turmoil for those who call that society home, no matter their status. Such atmospheres heighten the already difficult reconciliation of the conflicting emotions encountered in making life choices. “It’s normal to be sad,” as one character gently opines late on.

“Arguably, the film presents a cushier vision of suffering than many films. However, that would be to miss the fact that A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD – as the title implies – bases its story more in melancholia than trauma.”

The general demeanour of A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD evokes the tone of other melancholic romance films of recent years, such as Celine Song’s PAST LIVES, the emotional honesty of THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, or the engaging WE LIVE IN TIME. In particular, PAST LIVES contains similar themes of childhood connection and the pain of considering the life path not taken. However, there is an element of Michel Gondry’s THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND present here also: is it possible to move beyond past experiences, or will they continually shape our path forward? The fantastical imagery associated with the film’s recurring motif of ‘The Island’, where Nino visualises his parents having departed to, or where he shares idyllic moments with Yasmina, harmonises conceptually well with Gondry’s mental liminal spaces. Both present the idea that the manner in which we carry our pasts with us affects our future selves. What makes Aris’s film memorable is the specific cultural backdrop and flavour that the script, performances, and setting bring to that story.

A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD encapsulates the experience of watching it neatly within the title. Tears may obscure the picture, and although the pain of loss creates fear, it means we treasure the beauty we find all the more.