A Civilized People

During the Lebanese civil war, affluent residents of a Beirut apartment building have fled to Europe, leaving their luxurious homes under the care of their Sri Lankan, Filipino, and Egyptian servants. These and many more must deal with a maverick who controls the building, its occupants, the neighbourhood, and a few areas of the city. In Randa Chahal Sabbag’s 2000 dark comedy drama, the disparate lives of those who remain intersect: a young Muslim militia fighter, a Christian maid, a chauffeur with a missing son, and a middle-class woman returned to search for her lost lover.