Costa Brava, Lebanon

Mounia Akl’s Costa Brava, Lebanon is a 2021 drama that tells the story of the Badri family as their idyllic, rural lifestyle is disrupted by the creation of a landfill right outside their fence. Filmed in the aftermath of the 2020 Beirut Port Explosion and the Covid-19 pandemic, the trying process of creating the movie speaks to the resilience of the Badri family and the environmental and corruption issues in the movie are reflective of those that plague Lebanese society today. 

The Badri family lives on a plot of land outside of Beirut, away from Lebanon's noisy and polluted capital, taking place sometime in the near future, as the opening caption tells us. Walid, along with his aging, eccentric mother, his wife Souraya, and two daughters, Tala and Reem, are self-sufficient and live relatively disconnected from the rest of society. Despite Walid and Souraya’s metropolitan past, where they engaged in protests and a successful career in music for Souraya, the pair seem happy enough with their now-quiet life. That changes when a stone statue of Lebanon’s president is erected just outside their property and tons of trash begins to accumulate before the family’s eyes. Although they are told that the landfill will be “done right” and “green” by the project managers, this proves to be a false promise. As the trash continues to pile up, tension rises in the family. Zeina, Walid’s mother, gets sick and must wear an oxygen mask; their pool becomes so polluted it turns brown; and Walid and Souraya fight over whether they should return to Beirut. 

Through the Badri family, the audience gets to experience the vestiges of Lebanon’s 2015 Garbage Crisis, political corruption, and the environmental ramifications of government mismanagement. This is apparent from the opening scenes. The camera pans over the peaceful Beirut port in the early morning before the eerie sight of the remains from the Port Explosion come into view. As the devastation fades to the background, the camera centers on a stone statue that is then carted throughout the city. The statue of the Lebanese president passes disgruntled civilians and piles of garbage on its way to the new landfill site.  This speaks to the failure of the Lebanese government during the (still not completely resolved) 2015 Garbage Crisis in which nearly 20,000 tonnes of refuse filled the streets of Beirut (Chehayeb, 2021). The Crisis happened after a major landfill was finally closed years after its proposed closure date but without an alternative plan for dumping waste. As a result, the garbage ended up in the streets and people started the protest movement “You Stink” that targeted corruption and incompetence in the government (Chehayeb, 2021). Despite claims to find a solution, Lebanon still faces issues with centralized waste management today. The frustrations of the Lebanese people are captured in the opening scenes. We watch as a statue, that is supposed to represent competence and a long-awaited solution, leaves the site of one failure (the Port Explosion) and travels through the streets that still face waste management problems. While the opening of the new landfill is touted as an environmentally friendly victory, the Badri family watches on as the government breaks their promise of a landfill “done right,” and increasingly infringes on their quality of life. 

Although a connection may not be readily apparent for American viewers of Costa Brava, Lebanon because we have not experienced such a tangible, in-your-face issue such as the garbage crisis, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.  For example, millions of Americans live near toxic waste sites, and many aren’t even aware of it (Taylor, 2022). However, if there is a connection to be made between this film and American society, it would have to be the Flint Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan. Beginning right before Beirut’s garbage problem, residents of Flint began complaining in April 2014 that their tap water had a foul smell, taste, and look (Denchak, 2018). As someone who has lived in Michigan and has family there, drinking from the tap is very common, so contaminated tap water presents a significant risk. The complaints continued for a year while government officials dismissed the claims until a study was conducted that found significant levels of lead in Flint’s drinking water (Denchak, 2018). Similar to the Beirut Port Explosion that is alluded to in Costa Brava, Lebanon, government officials were aware that the quick switch in Flint’s water source that preceded the Flint Water Crisis could “lead to some big potential disasters down the road” (Masten et al., 2017). In both Beirut and Flint, the people were the ones advocating for themselves and holding their government accountable. 

Costa Brava, Lebanon highlights the environmental and social costs of corruption and government mismanagement through the struggles of the Badri family. While rooted in Lebanon’s challenges, the film’s themes resonate globally, drawing parallels to crises like Flint’s water contamination. Both remind us of the human cost of institutional failure and the resilience of communities fighting for justice. Ultimately, the film serves as a poignant call for accountability and sustainable solutions to protect our environment and future.

References 

Chehayeb, K. (2021, November 17). State of decay: How rubbish became Lebanon's latest dumpster fire. Al Jazeera. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/11/17/state-of-decay-how-garbage-became-lebanons-latest-dumpster-fire

Denchak, M. (2018, November 8). Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know. NRDC. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know

Masten, S., Davies, S., & Mcelmurry, S. (2017). Flint Water Crisis: What Happened and Why? National Library of Medicine. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5353852/

Taylor, A. (2022, February 16). Millions of Americans Live Near Toxic Waste Sites. How Does This Affect Their Health? Housing Matters. Retrieved November 17, 2024, from https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/millions-americans-live-near-toxic-waste-sites-how-does-affect-their-health