Feature Narrative Film
TOTAL BUDGET
US $1100,000
CONTACT
cyril.aris@gmail.com
+19176644164
A love story and improbable romance between two contrasting characters: Nino, a warmhearted idealist, and Soraya, a wounded cynic—throughout their childhood, adulthood and married life, all set against the backdrop of Lebanon’s history over the past 40 years.
Seeming as though they were meant to be together since childhood—as indicated by cosmic events revolving around their inevitable encounter and studied by a local astronomer—Nino and Soraya could not be more different in their viewpoints. Nino’s childhood traumas lead him to voluntarily taint his vision of the world with magic and positivity, ultimately focusing on nothing but beauty. Soraya’s childhood traumas, on the other hand, doom her not to see anything in life beyond sadness.
In their adulthood, when cosmic events reunite them, Nino falls head over heels for Soraya, and promises to make her world a brighter place, contaminating her with his optimistic vision.
While he successfully rejuvenates her and opens windows of beauty before her eyes, with time love withers, and amid the increasing hardships of living in a city like Beirut, the couple struggles to find solace in their decaying love. Nino progressively loses his smile, forcing Soraya to take over the positivity train. Their contrasting visions finally come clashing as they argue over which school of thoughts is to be transmitted to their little daughter: Would they pass on to her the magical world Nino sheltered himself in for so long? Or would they teach her reality as crude as it is, in order to arm her with some sense of pragmatism to better confront the world later on?
The friction between Nino’s positivity with Soraya’s cynicism embodies the conflict between the opposing mindsets I have, as a Lebanese citizen.
Indeed, there are two types of people in Lebanon: those who still have hope and think the country can stand up from rubbles again, opposing those who believe we are in a hopeless dead end. There are the “Nino”s who, as a survival instinct, do not look into the bull’s eye and willingly ignore problems, and the “Soraya”s who are more awake, but so disgusted by the desperation and decline of the country that they remove themselves from finding any solution, and incorporate the problems into their lifestyles to keep on living accordingly.
Finding both mindsets paralyzing, I often ask myself how we would advance if we all stayed in this state of dissociation, in which our eyes have adjusted to the darkness and we integrate our woes into our society’s DNA. These two mindsets fluctuate interchangeably, creating a complex relationship of love/hate we all feel towards our motherland.
I hope to look at the structure of this couple and their experience in our Beirut, to mirror that of our society, and hopefully, of all societies.
When we saw Cyril Aris’ well-observed documentary The Swing and his award-winning short film The President’s Visit, we felt in safe hands and quickly knew that we wanted to produce whatever Cyril wanted to create next.
His debut feature It's a Sad and Beautiful World is a culmination of what he has made so far, only further flavored with hints of magical realism. It is an intimate depiction of two lovers falling in and out of love, while the social and economical structures surrounding them are effervescently changing during Lebanon’s tumultuous history. When way too many Arab films depict the tragic events unfolding in the region, we particularly like that this one tells a story about love, hopelessness and new beginnings, focusing on personal stories rooted in their Arab context, and set in a melancholically sad and beautiful world.
Additionally, the strong theme of bringing children into the unjust and unkind environment our world has become is something on the minds of many of today’s youth. As Europeans, we found ourselves in this story, despite its specificity to its Arab context. European societies have also been on the decline, and part of the reason lies in the overall cynical attitude today’s youth hold towards their future. Indeed, many lose faith in humanity and deliberately choose not to procreate. And since we are nothing but a reflection of and a mirror to our society, we strongly believe that this universal story is relevant for all societies and cultures.
2019: The Forgotten Treasure
2018: The Copper Man
2017: Leipzig Fairy Tale
2015: The Hunters, Play Dead