"Help" is the tale of a teenager, Ali, who lives in a van in Lebanon. His life suddenly turns upside down when he meets Thuraya, a prostitute living with a gay man. "Help" is the first feature film by the young Lebanese director Marc Abi Rached. Lebanese authorities initially gave it the green light on two conditions: that it be restricted to viewers 18 years old or older and that an image of female genitals be blurred. The film was scheduled for release on February 19. While the preview went ahead as planned on February 12, three days before nationwide release the authorisation was suddenly revoked. "Help" has turned out to be highly controversial, not least because the lead actress, Joanna Andraos, the daughter of a Lebanese MP, appears fully naked.