‘Just Like a Dream’ unveils the collective psyche of a nation shaped by disaster. Through dreams, premonitions, and miracles, the film reflects the fragmented minds of Beirut's blast survivors, whose trauma is further deepened by yet another war.
On 4 August 2020, Beirut was shattered by one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, claiming over 230 lives and injuring thousands. In an instant, the city was reduced to rubble, and the survivors were left to process a trauma too immense to understand. Dreams became a refuge and a battleground for their minds; premonitions brought a sense of danger; survivors recounted each action and minute of that tragic day. How does one recover from such destruction?
Nearly five years on, Najwa's daughter remains clinically dead; Mirna hasn't coped with the loss of her eye; Alex, a 17-year-old, is thrust into his first war in 2024; and Mireille's grief over the loss of her son has destroyed her sense of Self. Yet, they have no other choice but to continue surviving. Alongside them, the dreams, premonitions, and miracles of Haifa, Youssef, Josiane, Leslie and Ara explore how the explosion has penetrated Lebanon's collective psyche, leaving lingering emotional scars. Through their stories emerges the portrait of a shattered nation, forever caught between one disaster and the next.
Nearly five years on, Najwa's daughter remains clinically dead; Mirna hasn't coped with the loss of her eye; Alex, a 17-year-old, is thrust into his first war in 2024; and Mireille's grief over the loss of her son has destroyed her sense of Self. Yet, they have no other choice but to continue surviving. Alongside them, the dreams, premonitions, and miracles of Haifa, Youssef, Josiane, Leslie and Ara explore how the explosion has penetrated Lebanon's collective psyche, leaving lingering emotional scars. Through their stories emerges the portrait of a shattered nation, forever caught between one disaster and the next.
