Rarely do I walk into a movie and come out speechless. I did with Ghadi, and so did my best friend who I went with.
This movie is set in a predominantly Christian quartier in Lebanon, where people -and attitudes- stay the same. The protagonist, Leba (Georges Khabbaz), is a simple music teacher. As with every young Arab, he's traditionally expected to marry and to get a baby boy. After two daughters, he finally has a son, but one with special needs.Can Leba persuade the neighbourhood to view his son in a positive light?
This movie tackles many themes, mainly the theme of being different (in more ways than one) in Arab society. It also deals with the hypocrisy of being judgemental despite having faults of one's own (an endemic quality in Arab society). Finally, it explores humans' endless capacity to love.
Khabbaz gives a great performance as Leba, and so does Emmanuel Khairallah as the titular character. The ensemble is amazing, no actor performs poorly. Standout characters include the greedy barber, his kind, camp and often degraded assistant Lello, and the cranky neighbour lady.
The film made me laugh, cry and smile. A great movie, great storyline, with beautiful aesthetics and an equally beautiful positive message.Definitely worth watching.
