Like a Spiral

Five women reclaim their voices in a collapsing Beirut

Like a Spiral is a documentary film built as a dialogue between Beirut and five migrant domestic workers living under the Kafala system. Set within a society in collapse, the film gives space to women whose voices rise through grainy, textured images, transforming personal memory into a collective act of witness. Their words speak of stolen freedom, exclusion, and the harsh conditions that define their place within a deeply unequal system.

As the film unfolds, memory, oppression, and resistance move together in a shared rhythm. The women recall what has been taken from them, while also asserting their presence with strength and clarity. Beirut is not only a setting, but a living counterpart to their stories, marked by crisis and fragmentation, yet still resonant with their voices.

Like a Spiral becomes a portrait of endurance against erasure. Caught in the spiral of life, these women struggle not to disappear into oblivion. Their testimonies express pain and belonging at once, and reveal an inalienable thirst for existence that refuses silence. The film offers a powerful reflection on migration, labour, freedom, and the human need to remain visible.