The River

It’s autumn. In the heart of the Lebanese mountains, a man (Ali Suliman) and a woman (Yumna Marwan) are about to leave a restaurant. They are surprised by fighter planes screaming past at low altitude. In the distance, war seems to be breaking out once again. Losing sight of the woman, the man starts looking for her. He finds her on the other side of the mountain. Together they sink deeper into nature, which becomes increasingly spectral, just like the slender thread that ties them to each other. THE RIVER is the final chapter of a trilogy in which filmmaker Ghassan Salhab explores the disquieted state of mind of his country’s citizens. It premiered in competition during the 2021 Locarno International Film Festival.