Bittersweet

Another woman, Jamale, who often frequents the salon is tormented by age, desperately attempting to remain young as she deals with a divorce and auditions for commercials where she is vying for roles against much younger actresses.

Nisrine, who works at the salon, is hiding the fact that she is not a virgin to her fiancée. She has to fix the situation with surgery, a common and rarely discussed procedure in this still rather puritanical county, in an attempt to fulfill the social expectation of a newly married couple's wedding night.

In one scene there is a painful juxtaposition of Nisrine's surgery with the sewing of the seamstress Rose, each ignoring what their heart tells them to placate both the people they care about and society in general.

Rose is an older, widowed woman whose new love and desire to date would gain the scorn of others. Her home and shop is next to the salon, but she rarely visits because she is burdened by caring for her older, senile sister, who also happens to be the funniest character in the film. Her high pitch demands and nonsense ramblings about collecting paper off the street is endearing, and you can't help but love her despite the difficulty she brings to Rose's life.

In sharp contrast to the other voluptuous women who exude sexuality, Rima is a younger girl of about 25 who does the general work and shampoos the clients' hair. One client in particular catches her attraction and this leads to long, intense hair washings with her. The issue of her sexuality is hinted but never formally addressed, possibly commenting on society's reservations towards the acceptance of homosexuality.

All of the women bring their very different struggles to the salon, which serves as a safe haven for these outspoken and independent women who share their lives over hair cuts and waxing sessions. The title Caramel comes from the heated, sweet substance used for waxing hair in middle eastern salons that consists of sugar, lemon juice, and water that is boiled down into caramel.