Costa Brava, Lebanon
A Lebanese family’s dream of mountain isolation becomes an uneasy reckoning with pollution, privilege, and the impossibility of escaping a broken society.
Overview
A couple seeks refuge from urban chaos, dreaming of a better life in nature's embrace.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- uneasy
- melancholic
- thoughtful movie night
- international cinema evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film’s atmospheric environmental allegory, performances, and sharp blend of family drama with social comedy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Souraya and Walid pursue a pristine mountain home while Beirut’s pollution and waste crisis remains an inescapable social reality.
The toxic pollution driving the family’s escape reflects Lebanon’s broader civic failures and unresolved collective tensions.
Souraya, Walid, and their daughters differ over whether withdrawal from the city is protection or denial.
The mountain setting begins as a pristine alternative to Beirut but becomes charged with environmental threat and suspicion.
Films like Costa Brava, Lebanon, and why
The Beasts
shared environmental anxiety, family conflict, and darkly comic social critique
The Insult
shared Lebanese setting, intimate domestic drama, and politically charged realism
The Mosquito Coast
shared utopian retreat, ecological unease, and family tensions beneath an idyllic surface
Movie Details
- Director
- Mounia Akl
- Release Date
- 2022-01-21
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (28)
Cast
- Nadine Labaki
- Saleh Bakri
- Nadia Charbel
- Ceana Restom
- Geana Restom
- Liliane Chacar Khoury
- Yumna Marwan
- François Nour
- Hadi El Hachem
- Dimitri Saba
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Costa Brava, Lebanon about?
- A Lebanese family’s dream of mountain isolation becomes an uneasy reckoning with pollution, privilege, and the impossibility of escaping a broken society.
- What is Costa Brava, Lebanon like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Costa Brava, Lebanon as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Costa Brava, Lebanon violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Costa Brava, Lebanon.
- What did critics think of Costa Brava, Lebanon?
- Critics broadly praised the film’s atmospheric environmental allegory, performances, and sharp blend of family drama with social comedy.
- Which films are like Costa Brava, Lebanon?
- Films with a similar feel include The Beasts, The Insult, and The Mosquito Coast.
- How long is Costa Brava, Lebanon?
- Costa Brava, Lebanon runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Costa Brava, Lebanon?
- In United States, Costa Brava, Lebanon streams on Kino Film Collection.
