Lebanese film open in US

The film �Caramel� takes its name from a hair waxing paste used in Iran. The director says the name captures the image of something that’s sweet and delicious but at the same time burns and hurts you. The filmmaker says she wanted to convey a more sensual side of Lebanon. The writer and director also plays the owner of the film’s beauty salon. She’s surrounded by a cast of leading women. The writer-director says the film displays a different side of Lebanon, an alternative to Lebanon’s depressing headline news. The film critic likes the movie for its variety and avoiding the political issues of Lebanon. The writer-director created the film for its humor and warm tone. She says it was natural for her, she says the Lebanese people always find a way to turn situations into humor. She says humor makes it easy to communicate the things she wanted to say. The movie offers examples of things or situations that might seem ridiculous in other countries but are normal in Lebanon. The writer-director ends her movie on a hopeful note, a liberation of sorts.