Panoptic is a letter from a daughter to her deceased father in an attempt to reconcile with her country's turbulent past. Panoptic delves into Beirut's underground to explore Lebanon's schizophrenia: a nation that strives for modernity while ironically ignoring the vices that prevent modernity. While the Lebanese population has chosen to turn a blind eye to these vices, Rana Eid, an ordinary citizen, explores the nation's paradoxes through sound, iconic monuments, and secret hiding places. In a rare case where the sound landscape of a film dictates the visual landscape, Panoptic is a depiction of the turbulent Lebanese past and the way society copes with trauma.
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