Skies of Lebanon: Chloé Mazlo beautifully balances the serious and the whimsical in this drama, which chronicles the story of a family as it faces the harsh realities of the Lebanese Civil War. Mixing animation, paintings, and live-action, particularly as it looks into the good times of the protagonist and her husband, the film tones that down as the story gets darker. Still, there are some incredible, original visual solutions even then. Much like the tone and looks of the film, the acting shifts gears as the film moves along. Alba Rohrwacher, as the protagonist, gives a layered performance: at times, a romantic ingénue, and at times, a strong woman trying to keep her family and life together. Wajdi Mouawad, as her dreamer of a husband, is likewise pretty good. The production design (by Aurélien Maillé), costume design (by Alexia Crisp-Jones), and music (a beautiful score composed by Bachar Mar-Khalifé) all are effectively instrumental in setting the mood. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Hélène Louvart, nicely edited by Clémence Carré.