A Perfect Day

24-hours from the life of a young man who suffers from his narcolepsy and the disappearance of his father 15 years ago at the height of the Civil War in Beirut, but maybe most from the fact that his girlfriend has finished with him. Atmospheric portrait of a family and a city that wants to move on after coming to terms with traumatic years.

A Perfect Day is a study of the personal and psychological consequences of a civil war, taking the form of a dreamlike journey through a fascinating city filled with scars. With the artistic visual styles so characteristic of these film makers, Joreige and Hadjithomas manage to perfectly capture the contradictions of Beirut; the potential of young people and the emotionally charged past go hand in hand. This story about lethargy and delayed mourning unfolds over 24 hours – in the words of the makers, ‘on the day before everything will change, the day on which the decision will be taken to change everything.’ Fifteen years after he disappeared, and long after some kind of peace has been achieved in Beirut, Claudia still hopes her husband will return. Together with her 26-year-old son Malek, she has made a half-hearted decision to have him officially declared dead as one of the hundred thousand victims of the war. Yet his clothes are still hanging where they always hung and every shadow in the large, dark house seems to wait for his return. In the absence of her husband’s love, Claudia’s need for attention from her son is even greater. Malek is plagued by narcoleptic attacks and, partly as a result, life seems to past him by. In addition, he does not know how to cope with his frustration about the end of his relationship with his girlfriend, Zaina. He calls her at irregular intervals and spies on her all over town. –IFFR