In ‘Capernaum,’ a boy tries surviving in Beirut slums

In the film “Capernaum,” 12-year-old Zain sues his parents for giving birth to him. He runs away from home after his parents sell his 11-year-old sister into marriage for a few chickens. He goes to the slums of Beirut, where he takes care of a woman’s baby, sells drugs to get by, and fights off sketchy characters. “Capernaum” won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It’s Lebanon’s entry for Best Foreign Language Oscar.

Zain Al Rafeea as Zain, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole as Yonas. Photo by Christopher Aoun, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics