Do You Love Me

“In this city, all our memories melt into the sea.” This quotation opens the video essay directed by Lana Daher, born and working in Lebanon, exploring country´s multifaceted history. What follows is a surprisingly vivid, emotional, and political journey into Beirut, a city surrounded by sea and conflict.

A devastating civil war, Israeli attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic, the massive explosion of 2020… Few cities have been as unfortunate as Beirut. This breathtaking coastal city is the contradictory jewel of Lebanon, wedged between Israel and Syria, whose very existence
depends on coexistence among multiple communities, languages, and religions. In Beirut, one can sense the lingering shadow of French colonization, but also the vitality of modern Arab culture.

Do You Love Me plunges into Beirut’s volatile splendor, presenting the viewer with fragments from 70 different sources: feature films, documentaries, archival footage, and photographs. In its experimental form, it recalls Christian Marclay’s video installation The Clock, which edits together scenes from different films according to the time shown on screen. Daher’s approach, however, is more associative and empathetic, weaving together themes such as domestic life, war, love, and family lineage.

At the heart of this visually and musically rich work lie profound questions. Can the collective memory of an entire community disappear? Who writes our history? Whose stories do we believe? Rather than holding the viewer by the hand, Daher invites them to draw their own interpretations from the abundant imagery. One thing, however, remains certain: Beirut’s soul is full of dance and love—vibrant energy that refuses to bend under the weight of global conflicts.

Joonas Kallonen

Director Lana Daher will attend the film screening on 8 Feb.