Short of the Week

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Dark Comedy Cyril Aris

The President's Visit

The President’s visit to a tiny seaside factory, called the Sultan of Soap, becomes a complete washout!

Play
Dark Comedy Cyril Aris

The President's Visit

The President’s visit to a tiny seaside factory, called the Sultan of Soap, becomes a complete washout!

The President's Visit

Directed By Cyril Aris
Produced By IndieFlip & Doha Film Institute (funding)
Made In Lebanon

Nino operates a soap factory in a small and quiet coastal town in Lebanon, where days come and go looking like the next. His peaceful life is about to change though, as he just received a phone call informing him that the President is coming to visit his place of work. Setting into motion a chain of events that perfectly captures a satirical absurdity director Cyril Aris aimed to convey, The President’s Visit uses comedy as a way for its creators to react to a troubling real-life situation.

“Comedy becomes a self-imposed remedy to make the situation more bearable”

It is no secret that Lebanon has had a tumultuous political scene, which Aris credits as key inspiration when developing the script and its comedic tone, with co-writer (and director in her own right) Mounia Akl. “It is that bittersweet pain of caring too much for a country we call home that drove the story of The President’s Visit“, he explains. “This absurdity is something you cry at, play with… and eventually laugh at. I find it inherently Lebanese to play with contradictions, so adopting a contrasting tone to the subject matter is truthful to the place and identity. Comedy becomes a self-imposed remedy to make the situation more bearable, while our lives simply pass by.”

The-Presidents-Visit-Cyril-Aris-Short-Film

Fouad Yammine (R) as Nino, the factory owner whose life changes when the president comes to visit.

Aris and Akl’s pen is sharp, the screenplay is witty, making the satirical element all the more enjoyable and entertaining. The film has pure comedic moments, built for laughs, but what makes the film so effective is its ability to juggle with its nuances. The writers made sure to infuse a genuine hope in their film – a hope and resilience that I, as a non-Lebanese person, find true to the Lebanese people.

They also added an impressive level of detail in their writing and although their film is obviously a work of fiction, this meticulous approach adds an air of authenticity to proceedings. The short’s exposition gives us such a good sense of the dynamics of the town and the relationships between its inhabitants. Through quick lines of dialogue, the supporting cast fleshes out the general vibe and inject some genuine fun into the situation, making the absurdity all the more delightful to watch and the contrast between the opening and what follows even more amusing.

The dark humorous introspection the short is centred around is perfectly embodied by central character Nino, and the actor who brings him to the screen, Fouad Yammine. The character exists on that fine line between goofy and endearing and watching his life change, after that important phone call, is a clever way to grasp the bigger concepts of the film. Making his character instantly likeable and easy to root for, Yammine manages to portray his character’s deception in a remarkably compelling fashion, equally funny and sad to witness.

The Presidents Visit Mounia Akl

Mounia Akl as Soraya, the voice of reason and love interest in Aris’ short.

With regards to the cast, I also have to give props to Akl, whose brief moments on-screen, as the woman Nino attempts to flirt with, add surprising depth to the storyline. While she does not say much, her on-screen presence is nonetheless extremely powerful, the closeups on her face saying much more than words ever could. Her existence in the narrative acting as a much-needed voice of reason in the middle of the mayhem caused by the President’s visit.

The President’s Visit had its world premiere at the 2017 edition of TIFF before making its way around the festival circuit, with a notable stop at the Palm Springs ShortFest in 2018. Aris has since directed feature documentary The Swing and short doc Beating Hearts, produced by the BBC. He is currently developing narrative feature It’s a Sad and Beautiful World and in the production stages of documentary Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano.