Solitaire (2017) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A family engagement is threatened by prejudice, unresolved love, jealousy, and concealed betrayal before reconciliation leads to marriage.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

A Divided Engagement

Ghada returns from Dubai to an engagement arranged with Samer. The family's Syrian background collides with entrenched prejudice, creating immediate tension.

Key Events

• Rejected Syrian Pickles — A woman rejects pickles after learning they were made by a Syrian refugee. Location: Food tasting area
• Brother's Photograph — A woman speaks to her dead brother's photograph and imagines him answering. Location: Home
• Marwan Buys a Ring — Solange speaks with Marwan, who has bought a ring for Ghada without knowing her engagement. Characters: Solange, Marwan Location: Neighborhood
• Maurice Promises a Trip — Maurice promises another woman that they will travel together while making excuses. Characters: Maurice Location: Town
• Syrian Family Approaches — Samer and his parents travel toward the engagement and discuss border problems. Characters: Riad, Nazek, Samer Location: Road to Ghada's home

Secrets Enter the House

Marwan is secretly brought into the gathering, while memories of his relationship with Ghada begin resurfacing. Samer's family waits through increasingly awkward interactions.

Key Events

• Ghada Returns from Dubai — Maurice picks Ghada up from Dubai and avoids revealing Samer's Syrian background. Characters: Maurice, Ghada Location: Road from the airport
• Samer's Background Revealed — The family's Syrian background becomes clear through Samer's dialect, shocking the household. Characters: Maurice, Ghada, Samer, Riad, Nazek Location: Ghada's home
• Awkward Engagement Waiting — Samer and his parents wait awkwardly while Maurice and Ghada try to calm the situation. Characters: Maurice, Ghada, Samer, Riad, Nazek Location: Living room
• Marwan Is Secretly Invited — A secret plan brings Marwan into the engagement gathering to disrupt it. Characters: Ghada, Marwan Location: Ghada's home
• Tango Memories Retrieved — A framed photograph of Ghada and Marwan's dance competition is taken from the tango class. Characters: Marwan Location: Tango class

Jealousy At The Table

A shared song briefly connects the families, but Marwan's arrival and the old dance photograph reignite romantic jealousy. The lunch ends in physical violence.

Key Events

• The Watch Is Given — Samer offers help in the kitchen, expresses condolences, and receives an old watch as a gift. Characters: Ghada, Samer Location: Kitchen
• Families Share a Song — Riad sings a Syrian song associated with a family memory, and everyone joins in. Characters: Riad, Nazek, Samer, Ghada, Maurice Location: Dining room
• Marwan Joins Lunch — Marwan brings a chair, sits beside Ghada, and discusses childhood memories with her. Characters: Marwan, Ghada, Samer, Riad, Nazek Location: Dining room
• The Dance Photograph Appears — The old dance partnership is revealed, increasing tension between Samer and Marwan. Characters: Ghada, Marwan, Samer, Riad Location: Dining room
• Samer Punches Marwan — Samer interrupts the dance and punches Marwan after their verbal exchange escalates. Characters: Samer, Marwan, Ghada, Riad, Nazek Location: Dining room
• Ghada's Email Revealed — Marwan shows an email in which Ghada says she feels lonely, misses him, and wants to be with him. Characters: Ghada, Samer, Marwan Location: Ghada's home

Broken Ring, New Beginning

Ghada's email causes another emotional crisis, followed by reconciliation with Samer. The planted ring exposes the family's secrets, but acceptance and marriage eventually follow.

Key Events

• Ghada's Email Revealed — Marwan shows an email in which Ghada says she feels lonely, misses him, and wants to be with him. Characters: Ghada, Samer, Marwan Location: Ghada's home
• The Couple Reconciles — Ghada explains her loneliness, and she and Samer reconcile after an emotional conversation. Characters: Ghada, Samer Location: Ghada's home
• The Ring Is Planted — The engagement ring is hidden in Nazek's bag to make the family suspect her. Characters: Ghada, Samer, Nazek Location: Ghada's home
• Engagement Collapse — The ring's discovery triggers a fight, exposing hatred of Syrians and Maurice's affair; the engagement breaks. Characters: Maurice, Ghada, Samer, Nazek Location: Ghada's home
• Wedding After Reconciliation — Ghada and Samer reunite and marry, while the families celebrate after reconciliation. Characters: Maurice, Ghada, Samer, Riad, Nazek Location: Wedding venue

Story Breakdown

• Prejudice And Grief — The opening establishes hostility toward Syrians alongside unresolved grief connected to a dead brother.
  • Rejected Syrian Food — Pickles are rejected after their Syrian origin is revealed.
  • Brother's Living Memory — A dead brother's photograph becomes part of an imagined conversation.
• Engagement Setup — Ghada returns to an engagement while Maurice withholds important information about Samer's background.
  • Return From Dubai — Maurice picks Ghada up from Dubai.
  • Syrian Background Exposed — Samer's dialect reveals his Syrian identity.
• Marwan's Disruption — Marwan's forgotten invitation and shared history with Ghada enter the engagement gathering.
  • Proposal Ring — Marwan buys a ring while unaware that Ghada is engaged.
  • Dance Photograph — A framed image recalls Ghada and Marwan's dance partnership.
• Family Lunch Tensions — The families briefly connect through music before romantic rivalry destabilizes the meal.
  • Shared Syrian Song — Riad sings a song associated with a family memory.
  • Dance Floor Rivalry — Samer interrupts Ghada and Marwan's dance and attacks Marwan.
• Secrets Become Evidence — Ghada's private email and a planted ring turn suspicion into open confrontation.
  • Lonely Email — Marwan reveals Ghada's message about loneliness and missing him.
  • Ring In The Bag — The engagement ring is found in Nazek's bag.
• Acceptance And Marriage — The broken engagement is followed by accountability, renewed acceptance, and a wedding.
  • Couple Reunites — Ghada and Samer reconcile after discussing their emotional problems.
  • Wedding Resolution — The couple marries while both families celebrate together.

Directed by

Sophie Boutros

Key Cast

• Julia Kassar — Therese
• Ali El Khalil — Maurice
• Bassam Kousa — Riad
• Nadine Khoury — Nazek
• Betty Taoutel — Solange