| Farah | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | Hassiba Freiha |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by | Aidan Lavelle |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | MAD Distribution |
Release date | 24 November 2022 |
Running time | 119 minutes |
| Countries | United Arab Emirates Lebanon |
| Languages | Arabic English [1] |
Farah is a 2022 Emirates-produced Lebanese psychological thriller directed by Emirati-British couple Hassiba Freiha and Kenton Oxley. [2] The film was written by Freiha, starring Lebanese actors Stephanie Atala, Majdi Machmouchi, Nader Abd Alhay, and Youssef Boulos. The theme song “Try to remember” was performed by English musician and mental health activist Boy George, and protagonist Stephanie Atala. [3] The film follows Lina (Atala), a pre-med student in the US, who struggles with exacerbating anxiety, low mood, and recurrent nightmares. [4] The story explores big pharma and mental health, as well as failing family dynamics in modern Lebanon. [2] The title of the film means “joy” in Arabic (فَرَح faraḥ); it refers to the street name of Xapa, a prescription antidepressant used recreationally in the film. [4] Farah premiered at the 2022 Beirut International Women Film Festival, [5] and was commercially released on 24 November 2022 in Lebanese cinemas. It was also released on Netflix on 8 December 2022. [2] [5] It garnered favorable reviews and a number of regional and international honorable mentions and awards. [6] [5]
Plot
Lina Nasser is a pre-med student in California, who struggles with worsening depression, anxiety and recurrent nightmares. She returns to Beirut when her symptoms exacerbate and her academic performance significantly deteriorates. [4] [7]
In Beirut, Lina is placed under the care of her father Nabil (Majdi Machmouchi) who works for a big pharma company, and is prescribed a new generation antidepressant called Xapa. Soon afterwards she starts experiencing additional severe symptoms including psychosis, paranoid delusions and confabulation. In an attempt to ground herself in reality, Lina revisits her memories of her deceased mother Farah (Hassiba Freiha), which suggest that her mental health issues stem from trauma linked to her mother. [4]
Lina is visited by an unnamed reporter (Youssef Boulos) who is investigating the effects of Xapa, sold illegally, and abused recreationally under the street name "Joy". She begins to question the motives and distrusts everyone, including the reporter, her father, and her nanny Gita (Josyane Boulos). She also questions whether her symptoms are the result of her preexisting condition, or side effects of Xapa. [4]
Lina eventually resorts to Dr Salam (Pierrette Katrib) who prescribes non-pharmacological and adjuvant therapies that alleviate her symptoms and restore her inner peace. [4]
Cast
- Stephanie Atala, as Lina Nasser
- Majdi Machmouchi, as Nabil Nasser
- Nader Abd Elhay, as Sami
- Youssef Boulos, as The Reporter
- Walid El-Alayli, as Phar-EMENA CEO
- Assaad Rechdan, as Dr. Maalouf
- Hassiba Freiha, as Farah Nasser
- Pierette Katrib, as Dr. Salam
- Josyane Boulos, as Gita
- Janah Fakhoury, as Janah [8] [9] [10]
Production
Screenplay and inspiration
Emirati writer and director Hassiba Freiha wrote the screenplay in 2018. [3] The script explores the stigma of mental illness, and the limitations of pharmacological treatment. [4] Kenton and Freiha were inspired by their own experience, and the experiences of their entourage with mental health. Freiha cites American developmental psychologist Bruce Lipton’s The Biology of Belief and Katinka Blackford’s The Pill That Steals Lives as resources that helped get a better understanding of behavioral and mental health sciences. [4] In her story, Freiha explores the role of epigenetics, and inherited trauma, on the mental health of subsequent generations. [11] [7] [10]
The script is in Arabic and English, and is set in modern Lebanon. Freiha chose the language mix and location based on her real life experience, being of Lebanese-American descent, and to depict the complex multicultural Lebanese society that is simultaneously very Westernized and traditionally-inclined. The story also portrays the experience of the Lebanese who are conflicted on whether to seek study and work opportunities abroad or to stay in their homeland. [11] Freiha and Kenton sought to make Farah's characters relatable, and to avoid the bleakness that accompanies emotionally charged psychological thrillers that deal with mental health. According to the couple, it was important to make the movie palatable to the general population, and to start a conversation about a holistic approach to the treatment of mental illnesses that doesn’t only focus on treating symptoms. [4] [7]
Filming
Farah was directed by Emirati-British couple Hassiba Freiha and Kenton Oxley, it was shot in Lebanon between 2019 and 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] [3] The first day of filming coincided with the beginning of the 2019 Lebanese protests. [11] These delayed filming and release. [3] [7] Freiha commented on the mental health effects of the pandemic: [3]
I just think that people would not have had that much discussion on mental health awareness if it wasn't for Covid. It’s made everyone more open to the subject, because show me anyone who wouldn’t have some kind of mental impact from all of that? I don't think this film could be any more needed, or more relevant, at this point. [3]
Music
The musical score was composed by London-based producer and composer Aidan Lavelle. [4] The film’s theme score, Try to Remember, is performed by British pop star and mental health advocate Boy George and Stephanie Atala. [3]
Accolades
Farah garnered favorable reviews and won the Special 10th Anniversary Award for Best Feature Film at the 2022 New York’s Chelsea Film Festival, [2] [3] Best Feature Film award at the Lebanese Independent Film Festival. [6] [12] At the Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival, the movie won the Best Arabic Film award and the Mahmoud Abdel Aziz Best Art Direction prize, awarded to Musa Baydoun and Nizar Nassar. [5] The film also won the Best Feature Film Award at the Lebanese Film Festival Canada. [2] Critics also praised the performances of emerging actors Atala and Boulos. [13] [10] [14]
References
Citations
- ^ MAD Distribution 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f BroadcastPro ME editorial staff 2022b.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Newbould 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Pak 2022.
- ^ a b c d Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International 2022.
- ^ a b Sinha 2022.
- ^ a b c d Radhakrishnan 2022.
- ^ IMDb 2022.
- ^ Younes 2022.
- ^ a b c Salloum 2022.
- ^ a b c Molana-Allen 2020.
- ^ BroadcastPro ME editorial staff 2022a.
- ^ Haddad 2022.
- ^ Farid 2022.
Sources
- BroadcastPro ME editorial staff, Staff (2022a) [27 June 2022]. "Lebanese film 'Farah' wins at Lebanese Independent Film Festival". BroadcastPro ME. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- BroadcastPro ME editorial staff (2022b) [7 December 2022]. "Lebanese film 'Farah' to release on Netflix". BroadcastPro ME. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Haddad, Viviane (29 November 2022). "فيلم "فرح"... الخلاص لا يأتي إلا بقرار شخصي" [The film "Farah" - Salvation only comes with a personal decision]. Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- IMDb (2022), Farah (2022) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-12-20
- Farid, Rita Ibrahim (25 November 2022). "الممثل يوسف بولس: نريد نصوصاً مميّزة وشخصيات صعبة" [Actor Youssef Boulos: We need different scripts and difficult characters]. Nidaa al-Watan. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (2022). "Lebanese movie Farah is among the most trending on Netflix in Lebanon". LBCI Lebanon. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- MAD Distribution (2022). "Farah - MAD Distribution Films". mad-distribution.film. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- Molana-Allen, Leila (3 March 2020). "How 'Farah' filmmakers are bringing mental health issues into focus". The National. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- Newbould, Chris (28 November 2022). "Farah: Emirati-produced film emerges from Covid for cinema screens". The National. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Pak, Chris (23 November 2022). "With or without antidepressants, an ongoing dilemma". British Medical Journal - Medical Humanities. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Radhakrishnan, Manjusha (29 November 2022). "Watch: Emirati filmmaker Hassiba Freiha tackles mental health with UAE-funded thriller 'Farah' ahead of National Day". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- Salloum, Maleine (15 December 2022). ""فرح".. نفق مظلم نهايته نور" [Farah, a dark tunnel ending with light]. al-Khaleej (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Sinha, Sujita (28 June 2022). "'Farah' takes home 'Best Feature Film' at Lebanese Independent Film Festival". Mashable. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Younes, Samar (26 November 2022). "خاص - فيلم "فرح" لـستيفاني عطالله .. رحلة نفسية مثيرة للبحث عن السعادة وهذا ما قاله فريق العمل" [Exclusive - "Farah" movie by Stephanie Atala.. An exciting psychological journey in search of happiness, and this is what the team said]. Elfann News (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
External links
| Farah | |
|---|---|
|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by | Hassiba Freiha |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Music by | Aidan Lavelle |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | MAD Distribution |
Release date | 24 November 2022 |
Running time | 119 minutes |
| Countries | United Arab Emirates Lebanon |
| Languages | Arabic English [1] |
Farah is a 2022 Emirates-produced Lebanese psychological thriller directed by Emirati-British couple Hassiba Freiha and Kenton Oxley. [2] The film was written by Freiha, starring Lebanese actors Stephanie Atala, Majdi Machmouchi, Nader Abd Alhay, and Youssef Boulos. The theme song “Try to remember” was performed by English musician and mental health activist Boy George, and protagonist Stephanie Atala. [3] The film follows Lina (Atala), a pre-med student in the US, who struggles with exacerbating anxiety, low mood, and recurrent nightmares. [4] The story explores big pharma and mental health, as well as failing family dynamics in modern Lebanon. [2] The title of the film means “joy” in Arabic (فَرَح faraḥ); it refers to the street name of Xapa, a prescription antidepressant used recreationally in the film. [4] Farah premiered at the 2022 Beirut International Women Film Festival, [5] and was commercially released on 24 November 2022 in Lebanese cinemas. It was also released on Netflix on 8 December 2022. [2] [5] It garnered favorable reviews and a number of regional and international honorable mentions and awards. [6] [5]
Plot
Lina Nasser is a pre-med student in California, who struggles with worsening depression, anxiety and recurrent nightmares. She returns to Beirut when her symptoms exacerbate and her academic performance significantly deteriorates. [4] [7]
In Beirut, Lina is placed under the care of her father Nabil (Majdi Machmouchi) who works for a big pharma company, and is prescribed a new generation antidepressant called Xapa. Soon afterwards she starts experiencing additional severe symptoms including psychosis, paranoid delusions and confabulation. In an attempt to ground herself in reality, Lina revisits her memories of her deceased mother Farah (Hassiba Freiha), which suggest that her mental health issues stem from trauma linked to her mother. [4]
Lina is visited by an unnamed reporter (Youssef Boulos) who is investigating the effects of Xapa, sold illegally, and abused recreationally under the street name "Joy". She begins to question the motives and distrusts everyone, including the reporter, her father, and her nanny Gita (Josyane Boulos). She also questions whether her symptoms are the result of her preexisting condition, or side effects of Xapa. [4]
Lina eventually resorts to Dr Salam (Pierrette Katrib) who prescribes non-pharmacological and adjuvant therapies that alleviate her symptoms and restore her inner peace. [4]
Cast
- Stephanie Atala, as Lina Nasser
- Majdi Machmouchi, as Nabil Nasser
- Nader Abd Elhay, as Sami
- Youssef Boulos, as The Reporter
- Walid El-Alayli, as Phar-EMENA CEO
- Assaad Rechdan, as Dr. Maalouf
- Hassiba Freiha, as Farah Nasser
- Pierette Katrib, as Dr. Salam
- Josyane Boulos, as Gita
- Janah Fakhoury, as Janah [8] [9] [10]
Production
Screenplay and inspiration
Emirati writer and director Hassiba Freiha wrote the screenplay in 2018. [3] The script explores the stigma of mental illness, and the limitations of pharmacological treatment. [4] Kenton and Freiha were inspired by their own experience, and the experiences of their entourage with mental health. Freiha cites American developmental psychologist Bruce Lipton’s The Biology of Belief and Katinka Blackford’s The Pill That Steals Lives as resources that helped get a better understanding of behavioral and mental health sciences. [4] In her story, Freiha explores the role of epigenetics, and inherited trauma, on the mental health of subsequent generations. [11] [7] [10]
The script is in Arabic and English, and is set in modern Lebanon. Freiha chose the language mix and location based on her real life experience, being of Lebanese-American descent, and to depict the complex multicultural Lebanese society that is simultaneously very Westernized and traditionally-inclined. The story also portrays the experience of the Lebanese who are conflicted on whether to seek study and work opportunities abroad or to stay in their homeland. [11] Freiha and Kenton sought to make Farah's characters relatable, and to avoid the bleakness that accompanies emotionally charged psychological thrillers that deal with mental health. According to the couple, it was important to make the movie palatable to the general population, and to start a conversation about a holistic approach to the treatment of mental illnesses that doesn’t only focus on treating symptoms. [4] [7]
Filming
Farah was directed by Emirati-British couple Hassiba Freiha and Kenton Oxley, it was shot in Lebanon between 2019 and 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. [2] [3] The first day of filming coincided with the beginning of the 2019 Lebanese protests. [11] These delayed filming and release. [3] [7] Freiha commented on the mental health effects of the pandemic: [3]
I just think that people would not have had that much discussion on mental health awareness if it wasn't for Covid. It’s made everyone more open to the subject, because show me anyone who wouldn’t have some kind of mental impact from all of that? I don't think this film could be any more needed, or more relevant, at this point. [3]
Music
The musical score was composed by London-based producer and composer Aidan Lavelle. [4] The film’s theme score, Try to Remember, is performed by British pop star and mental health advocate Boy George and Stephanie Atala. [3]
Accolades
Farah garnered favorable reviews and won the Special 10th Anniversary Award for Best Feature Film at the 2022 New York’s Chelsea Film Festival, [2] [3] Best Feature Film award at the Lebanese Independent Film Festival. [6] [12] At the Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival, the movie won the Best Arabic Film award and the Mahmoud Abdel Aziz Best Art Direction prize, awarded to Musa Baydoun and Nizar Nassar. [5] The film also won the Best Feature Film Award at the Lebanese Film Festival Canada. [2] Critics also praised the performances of emerging actors Atala and Boulos. [13] [10] [14]
References
Citations
- ^ MAD Distribution 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f BroadcastPro ME editorial staff 2022b.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Newbould 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Pak 2022.
- ^ a b c d Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International 2022.
- ^ a b Sinha 2022.
- ^ a b c d Radhakrishnan 2022.
- ^ IMDb 2022.
- ^ Younes 2022.
- ^ a b c Salloum 2022.
- ^ a b c Molana-Allen 2020.
- ^ BroadcastPro ME editorial staff 2022a.
- ^ Haddad 2022.
- ^ Farid 2022.
Sources
- BroadcastPro ME editorial staff, Staff (2022a) [27 June 2022]. "Lebanese film 'Farah' wins at Lebanese Independent Film Festival". BroadcastPro ME. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- BroadcastPro ME editorial staff (2022b) [7 December 2022]. "Lebanese film 'Farah' to release on Netflix". BroadcastPro ME. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Haddad, Viviane (29 November 2022). "فيلم "فرح"... الخلاص لا يأتي إلا بقرار شخصي" [The film "Farah" - Salvation only comes with a personal decision]. Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- IMDb (2022), Farah (2022) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-12-20
- Farid, Rita Ibrahim (25 November 2022). "الممثل يوسف بولس: نريد نصوصاً مميّزة وشخصيات صعبة" [Actor Youssef Boulos: We need different scripts and difficult characters]. Nidaa al-Watan. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (2022). "Lebanese movie Farah is among the most trending on Netflix in Lebanon". LBCI Lebanon. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- MAD Distribution (2022). "Farah - MAD Distribution Films". mad-distribution.film. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- Molana-Allen, Leila (3 March 2020). "How 'Farah' filmmakers are bringing mental health issues into focus". The National. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- Newbould, Chris (28 November 2022). "Farah: Emirati-produced film emerges from Covid for cinema screens". The National. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Pak, Chris (23 November 2022). "With or without antidepressants, an ongoing dilemma". British Medical Journal - Medical Humanities. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Radhakrishnan, Manjusha (29 November 2022). "Watch: Emirati filmmaker Hassiba Freiha tackles mental health with UAE-funded thriller 'Farah' ahead of National Day". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- Salloum, Maleine (15 December 2022). ""فرح".. نفق مظلم نهايته نور" [Farah, a dark tunnel ending with light]. al-Khaleej (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- Sinha, Sujita (28 June 2022). "'Farah' takes home 'Best Feature Film' at Lebanese Independent Film Festival". Mashable. Archived from the original on 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- Younes, Samar (26 November 2022). "خاص - فيلم "فرح" لـستيفاني عطالله .. رحلة نفسية مثيرة للبحث عن السعادة وهذا ما قاله فريق العمل" [Exclusive - "Farah" movie by Stephanie Atala.. An exciting psychological journey in search of happiness, and this is what the team said]. Elfann News (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.