Beirut, 1983. The secret life of twelve-year-old Lina revolves around Siham, her aunt’s maid and six years her senior. The youngster defends the elder girl’s secret loves of and protects her interests. But she goes unnoticed in the eyes of the maid, of her family and especially her father, a destructive, womanising gambler. Amidst the uncertainties of a daily life made of war, passion and frustration, Lina enters the adult world without differentiating between good and evil… The battle fields lie as much in inner worlds as in the public space: clashes between nationalities and religions, intestine family quarrels, the battle of the sexes, class struggle, civil war. Lina’s subjectivity is conveyed by the extremely sensual camera eye, which also reveals some outstanding actresses.
M.F.M.
