Underplayed Gems

Farah (2022)

Farah poster
Original title
فرح
Country
Lebanon
Runtime
1h 59m
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

A pre-med student in the US struggles with worsening anxiety, low mood and nightmares. The film looks at the pharmaceutical industry and failing family ties in modern Lebanon.

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What happens

Farah is a 2022 Emirates-produced Lebanese psychological thriller directed by Emirati-British couple Hassiba Freiha and Kenton Oxley. 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. The film follows Lina (Atala), a pre-med student in the US, who struggles with exacerbating anxiety, low mood, and recurrent nightmares. The story explores big pharma and mental health, as well as failing family dynamics in modern Lebanon. 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. Farah premiered at the 2022 Beirut International Women Film Festival, and was commercially released on 24 November 2022 in Lebanese cinemas. It was also released on Netflix on 8 December 2022. It garnered favorable reviews and a number of regional and international honorable mentions and awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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