SWEETER THAN DESSERT

What remains of everyday life when people are constantly confronted with three choices: resignation and acceptance, abandonment and escape, or the need to stay and create something that gives their life meaning?

Sweeter than Dessert is both a personal and collective journey through the continuous cycle of crisis that defines contemporary Lebanon: the never-healed trauma of the civil war, the collapse of the economic system, political uncertainty, popular protests, and the hidden weight of mental health.

Accompanied by the glances of Wissam and his grandfather Tanios, the documentary weaves together intimate moments, expert insights, personal dialogues, and glimpses of ordinary life. In the background, a chaotic country full of contradictions, where past memories weigh on the present, where traumas never have the time to heal, and that, nevertheless, is still able to produce beauty and the strength to carry on. Sweeter than Dessert doesn’t look for clarity in the chaos and doesn’t offer answers. It provides a space for a mosaic of voices, of memories, of loss, and of hope that even in a broken country, it is possible to imagine a different future.

Visually, the documentary unfolds like a mosaic of stories, images and thoughts, like fragments scattered, apparently adrift, on a dirty floor. The interweaving of stories, the succession of events, and the voices of the main characters, blend with other voices in a stratification that, at first glance, might seem chaotic, much like Lebanon appeared to the authors during their visits. 

The camera, at times, surrenders to the chaos, while at others, it appears entrapped in frames, akin to moments of reflection. These instances open windows onto evocative situations or, depending on the case, onto other chaotic scenarios.

Experts' voices bridge the gap between chaos and reflection in an immersive narrative that never feels imposed. Their voices are intertwined with Wissam’s and his grandfather Tanios’ stories guiding the viewer through the chaos in a continuous and syncopated flow. The only formal structure comes from Tanios’ poetry, whose verses frame the film’s five chapters and give the documentary its title. As the narrative unfolds, the mosaic gradually expands. While it may never be completed, it offers a fractured image, allowing the viewer to grasp a collective portrait. At times, the filmmakers are physically and emotionally closer to the subjects, allowing the camera to disappear into the background; at other moments, the camera takes a more visible role, always seeking the optimal distance to serve the evolving story. The various shooting sessions represent tiles of different colors and dimensions in the film’s mosaic. Through the sometimes surprising editing process, these tiles are skillfully blended to create a new and unprecedented narrative, yet one that remains authentically real.