Cyril Aris’ debut fiction feature, A Sad and Beautiful World, is a sweeping love story set against three decades of Lebanon’s turbulent history. Nino, an idealist full of life, and Yasmina, strong yet marked by melancholy, grow up together, fall in love, and try to build a family while their country collapses around them. From childhood dreams to marriage and the struggles of raising children, they wrestle with choices—whether to stay or to emigrate, whether to embrace hope or surrender to despair.Aris interweaves the couple’s fragile yet enduring bond with the broader weight of political and social crises, capturing both the intimacy of a marriage and the shadow of a nation in turmoil. With lyrical camerawork, the sounds of Beirut’s streets, fragments of archival footage, and a rhythm that alternates between joy and sorrow, the film paints a deeply moving portrait of resilience, memory, and the tenacity of love.