Young Yara lives with her grandmother in a valley in northern Lebanon, where most of the inhabitants have either died or moved abroad. One day Elias, a young hiker, passes by the two women’s farm. With him, Yara will experience the joys and pains of first love.

Iraqi-French director Abbas Fahdel surprised us by following his extraordinary documentary epic Homeland: Iraq Year Zerowith this limpid teenage love story set in Lebanon’s stunning Kadisha Valley. It has a documentary freshness and the beautiful, archetypal simplicity of our favorite silent cinema.