Arzé is a struggling single mother living in Beirut with her agoraphobic older sister and teenage son, Kinan. Supporting the family by making homemade pies delivered on foot by her son, Arzé knows that the business can only sustain them for so long. In a move of desperation, she steals her sister’s cherished bracelet to pawn for the down payment on a delivery scooter. But disaster strikes when the scooter is stolen, jeopardizing her only way to provide for her family. Up against a ticking clock to either find the scooter or a way to pay for it in full, Arzé and Kinan embark on a wild journey through the turbulent but vibrant, multiethnic Levantine capital in pursuit of the pilfered moped. 

Director Mira Shaib’s debut feature is at once a thrilling tale of a family with their backs against the wall, and a beautifully rendered, kaleidoscopic portrait of a dynamic and complex Beirut. Armed with a sharp compositional eye, nuanced script from writers Sam Faisal Shaib and Louay Khraish, and wonderful performance from Diamond Abou Abboud as the titular Arzé, Shaib has crafted a delightful film that is a tribute to Lebanon and to mothers who will stop at nothing to provide a better life for their children.––Jason Gutierrez

Mira Shaib