Cinema Nights: Thiiird

A dilapidated garage on the outskirts of Beirut becomes a microcosm of Lebanon itself – a country not only questioning its future, but whether a future is even possible – in this vivid portrait of a car mechanic (Fouad Mahouly) whose customers require fixing as much as their cars. The film observes the daily routine of Fouad’s workshop in documentary detail, but it is the lives of the people he offers coffee while their cars are repaired that are the director’s focus. Two young men rehearse a play as they wait for their car to be serviced; a woman’s life is revealed in a tearful phone conversation and another customer shakes with anxiety, while the financial and social collapse of the country beyond Fouad’s yard affects them all. Their collective story, which goes beyond their immediate lives to explore the meaning of existence, unfolds like a dream.

Important note: A Q&A session with the director Karim Kassem will follow the film