Bennesbeh Labokra Chou (2016)

As the Lebanese civil war rages outside in the streets of Beirut, life in the Sandy Snack bar goes as usual, serving as a microcosm to Beirut in particular and Lebanon in general. Zakaria (Ziad Rahbani) is a bartender who -- like the rest of his compatriots -- suffers from the increasing prices and lack of security. In order to get by, he brings his wife Thorayya (Nabila Zeytouni) to assist him in the bar and to sell herself to the clientele outside the bar. The play focuses on Zakaria's struggle between his jealousy and feeling like a cuckold and his inability to return to poverty by asking his wife to stop working. Meanwhile, Rahbani's commentary on the war, the Lebanese society and its rapid urbanization, and the various forces shaping the war is played out by various characters around the couple: Sheikh Da'fous is a stereotypical rich man from the Gulf who wants to open a hotel in his country and employ Zakaria, Ramiz delivers vegetables from the village and gets enchanted by the city life, Rida is an underpaid busboy who dreams of a better life brought on by his learning English. Ziad Rahbani's witty dialogue and play on words keeps you in stitches and ensures that you'll be quoting this play long after you're done watching. This film was produced in 2016 from footage of the original play from 1978, highlighting how relevant this play remains in our day and age.