L'autobus

I'm Canadian Lebanese, my auntie brought me this film from Lebanon as a present telling me it's a hit in Lebanon... at first i thought that it was another low-budget movie with bad actors and didn't really want to watch it...But then having nothing to do, i gave it a try and it changed my whole view about Lebanese movies: the direction was great(same for the camera shots) the quality of the image was comparable to a western movie, the actors did a big effort, the story and dialogs were excellent... the movie also deals with lots of Lebanese every day troubles and it makes the whole religious segregation between Lebanese just not worthy and ridiculous(i see a lot of those things when i go to Leb every summer) the movie also opened my eyes on what Lebanese can achieve...

One has to love one's roots deeply to write such a beautiful poetry. It is hard to believe that this the Director's first work. Except for the editing, nothing can be complained about the movie. This is my first Lebanese movie as a Bengali from India . I am in love already !

This film manages to take everything that is corny and cheesy in Lebanese cinema and squeeze it into 2 hours and 20 minutes, then it also takes elements from bad Hollywood romantic comedies and adds it to the mix. Aside from the fact that the director decided to use the civil war as a background for the events (which has become a staple of Lebanese cinema) he does it badly, so badly, I found myself cringing involuntarily. The main character is attempting to assemble a Dabke (traditional Lebanese dance) dance troupe and add a contemporary flavor to it - contemporary flavor that he's gained from spending 15 years in the country that colonized Lebanon that is civil and advanced unlike the peasants there- with the help of his childhood friends. Along the way, we observe the diversity of characters and their daily struggles in such a society while trying desperately to gain a laugh or two from "Some Ol' typical Lebanese-y behaviors"... HAHA- NOT. After these old friends get together, suppressed emotions rekindle and they now have to deal with them, with the inclusion of some bad Dabke choreography and singing that really serves nothing.

Conclusion: this movie is bad. And Lebanese cinema has good directors, Phllipe Aractanji does not fall in that category. People should stop giving him money to make films.

Very good job done! This movie is the first Lebanese movie that i see in the cinema; and to tell you the truth, it gave me the courage to produce a Lebanese movie in the future, why not? My Indian friend liked the movie too. He was reacting with every single part of it. One thing: Sabah's appearance was too short. I respect our beloved singer and i, like everybody, acknowledge her efforts to rise up with our traditional songs; but i felt her role was unnecessary ( too short). It could have been replaced by a huge screen playing one of her clips and dancers are performing in the front.At the end,I want to thank all the crew for their efforts!

One of the best Lebanese movies out there. good production, very authentic acting, a well outspoken movie. Now if any of you don't know anything about Lebanon or think Lebanon is another product on the food chain, go see the movie, you'll see Lebanon in its extremely well put plot detailing its variable ethnic groups, its freestyle thinking, creative planning etc... this movie depicts a man who intents to regroup his old friends including an ex-lover to form a Dabke band (Dabke is the national dance of Lebanon. It can be danced by men, women, or both, with different steps and different rhythms being more common in different areas of the Middle East. Dabke is a dance of community, often performed at weddings and other joyous occasions. it is also a dance of solidarity and a way of expressing nationalism and the age-old presence of art and culture in a positive way. The dabke leader is supposed to be like a tree, with arms in the air, a proud and upright trunk, and feet that stomp the ground in rhythm, emphasizing their connection to their land. Its meaning in Arabic is "stomping of the feet," and stomping, as well as jumping and kicking, are moves that characterize the dabke in a unique manner) and travel throughout the country and show off this new Techno-Dabke band called the Digi Dabke. Watching the film will allow you to see multiple sceneries depicting Lebanon's superb climate and landmark and showing the Lebanese people at their best. The film emphasizes also on the need to maintain one's root and consider them as an essential output to ones originality and character.

Believe me, whether you're the fan of the genre or not this film is a must see for all fans of movies out there.it has potential and something special that everyone must see to understand.