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The mk2 Nation cinema was packed on June 6, 2023, for the Paris premiere of the film La nuit du verre d’eau or Ard El Wahem by Carlos Chahine, in the presence of French actress Nathalie Baye. The audience was captivated by the director’s first feature film of 83 minutes.
La nuit du verre d’eau (The night of the glass of water) explores the human condition against a backdrop of historical events within the landscapes of the Lebanese high mountains. The film features a range of renowned and skilled actors, including Nathalie Baye, Marilyne Naaman, Antoine Merheb Harb, Pierre Rochefort, Talal Jurdi, Ahmad Kaabour, Christine Choueiri, Joy Hallak, and Rubis Ramadan. Women, incarnated in sisters, mothers, or friends, play at the heart of the action.
The events date back to the summer of 1958 in Lebanon and narrate the story of a family of three noble Christian sisters. The eldest sister, Layla, played by Marilyne Naaman, a faithful wife, loving mother, and decent woman, rebels against the patriarchal society and decides to kickstart an adulterous relationship with a French stranger who opens her eyes to the world beyond her village borders. A shattered Lebanon is reflected on the big screen, all imbedded in this family, within the sublime frame of wild nature and village houses with large windows and open, welcoming doors. There, serenity is preserved thanks to the alert, protective, and dominant gaze of men.
With previous experience in theater, Carlos Chahine attests that unlike other filmmakers who prioritize frame and cinema, it is not that same desire that drives him, but rather the desire to get as close as possible to the human side of actresses and people through his directing techniques.
Following her achievement in The Voice 2023, Marilyne Naaman displays a frank performance throughout the film. Genuine and spontaneous, she is not blinded by success. The film delights spectators all the way through landscapes, a woman’s story, a family, a village, and, at the end of a suspended dream, a country.
La nuit du verre d’eau is a film filled with visual emotions. The premiere ends magically with a moment suspended in time. After the departure of the spectators, two voices on the microphone fill the air with colorful notes. Marilyne Naaman and Micha’s rhymes (The Voice 2023) reach the stars.
Marie-Christine Tayah
Instagram : @mariechristine.tayah
