Ebb & Flow

By: Gladys Luna

In the middle of a chaotic world, teenager Loulwa (Dona Atallah) is determined to have her first kiss and give some sense of normalcy to her life. However, soon reality strikes back, making her realize that nothing will ever be the same. Trapped between a tumultuous conflict in her city and the needs and curiosities of adolescence, Loulwa juggles for the best way to keep herself safe while making her teenage dreams come true in the film Ebb & Flow.

Loulwa and her friend Jana (Aya Zeaiter) are not different from any other teenager in Beirut attempting to experience life and freedom. And despite the tragic events that have painted the city in red in recent days, the two friends try to move forward and search for new adventures. This is how they end up taking a stroll around the beach in the company of Nady (Karim Chemaly) and Sharif (Sami Saade) when something tragic interrupts their “romantic” getaway reminding them this way that everything they used to know has now changed.

What appears to be a regular teenage love story soon takes an interesting and shocking turn when the devastating reality of a decadent world makes an appearance in all its glory, leaving no space for kids to play or for young love. One of my favorite, and yet crushing, scenes is where Loulwa’s innocence is suddenly ripped out of her hands forcing her to look into a different kind of future.

Director Nay Tabbara accomplishes allowing viewers to see the world through innocent eyes to then grant us a first-row seat to a reality that keeps shattering millions of lives of those in Beirut, forcing them to find a new kind of normal. Without the use of explicit footage of the calamities happening in the city, she manages to make us feel the angst, pain, sorrow and uncertainties surrounding a community that suddenly finds themselves in a constant survival mode.

Ebb & Flow is a short film that won’t leave anyone indifferent and has definitely left a bittersweet taste and awakened a new way to see life. It’s a story that touches the deepest corners of our beings, making us see that somewhere out there, this is someone’s daily reality. This is a film that everybody should be watching now.