Where Do We Go Now?

Lebanese cinematic talent has not been given much room to grow. In a country where art is the least concern, cinema has found it especially hard to take off. However, a stream of Lebanese movies has been finding its way to our theaters. Some like Nadine Labaki's previous movie, Caramel, were a huge hit with viewers. Others were not as lucky. But the fact remains that the Lebanese audience is hungry for movies that describe its society, its problems, its worries and woes.

And then comes Nadine Labaki's new movie: Where Do We Go Now, with its Lebanese title: W Halla2 La wein (also in French: Et Maintenant, On Va Ou?) The premise of the movie is quite simple – and for many Lebanese, worry-inducing for fear of overuse of clichés. The overall basis of the plot is the coexistence of Lebanese Muslims and Christians in one community, sometimes peacefully and other times not. Many, like yours truly, felt the issue was overdone. Maybe not in cinema but in everyday life. Most of us are sick of being bombarded with commentary about the struggles that face our very diverse community. But this is not the case in Where Do We Go Now.

An unnamed village during the later part of the 20th century has its only connection with the outside world in the form of a very rudimentary bridge, around which land-mines had been planted and never removed. Even TV reception is very poor to the village and the movie begins with a few youngsters searching for a broadcast signal to set up a TV night for the town-folks. This village is also a religiously divided community where the Church and the Mosque are only a house apart. And more often than not, the people live together happily. But as it is, and despite barely having any access to news from the outside world, the men of this village start to confront each other in violent ways. Little things that would pass unnoticed cause them to explode, signaling the anger they've been bottling in. And it is then that the few women of the village start to devise plots to keep the men busy, entertained and get their minds off being violent. These plans will vary from fake miracles to putting hashish in cakes. But these women will go to every measure possible and break every limit imposed on them by society to keep their town together. And it is for these women, representing a vast majority of our Lebanese mothers, that this movie is so aptly dedicated.

Nadine Labaki, director of the movie and starring as Amal, is astonishing as always. You, really, cannot see her eyes on screen and not be mesmerized. She's simply entrancing, even when she doesn't speak. Then how about when she delivers a tour de force performance as one of those women, who happens to be in love with a man from the town's other religion. But to be perfectly honest, the accolades one ought to give Labaki are not for her acting but for her directing. Never have I imagined a Lebanese movie can turn out this good and she makes it seem effortless. Her camera shots, her focus on details, her keen eye… all of this combine to give you a cinematic experience that will entrance you. This movie, like Caramel, features mostly unknown faces and all of them deliver as well. It is hard to believe – and yet in retrospect so evident – that such acting can come out of common people that we all meet on the street.

Where Do We Go Now is a movie of such epic proportions that these "unknown" actors and actresses (mostly actresses) deliver performances that are so subtly nuanced, so exquisitely flavored and so astonishingly well-done that they would put the best actresses and actors of Hollywood to shame. Yes, I have said it. The score of the movie is chilling and haunting and wonderfully executed by Nadine's husband Khaled Mouzanar. The movie also features a few highly intelligent songs, written by Tania Saleh. And let's talk about the script. What an ingenious way to tackle the subject at hand. Not only did Nadine Labaki not fall to any cliché known to us as a Lebanese community, but she managed to introduce them in a subtle comical way that would make us laugh at ourselves for uttering or doing them in the first place.

The script is so strong it will turn you bipolar. Yes, lithium is advised to be taken at the door while going in. Why? Never have I laughed so hysterically one moment and just wanted to cry the other. And then after being utterly devastated, it brings you back to laughter. The movie plays with you like a ping pong ball. And you cannot but love every moment of it.

I was talking to my friend the day before we went to watch Where Do We Go Now, which happened to be the day it won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, and she said: "I'm very cautiously optimistic about this. I'm not letting my expectations overreach because I don't want to be disappointed." Well, I'm pretty sure she agrees with me on this: Where Do We Go Now brings out things in you that you didn't even know you had. It brings out the best in you, as a Lebanese, sitting in that cinema chair for ninety minutes. And you need the best of the best to do that. Nadine Labaki, you deserve more than the few minutes of applause the people in the movie theater gave you. You deserve a full blown standing ovation. You have done the impossible. Again. Lebanese cinema has no excuse but to overreach for excellence now. And this movie deserves an Oscar win. Cheers to our mothers.

Nadine Labaki proves she is a talented director with a lot to say. she breaks many "regional" taboos, like the use of candid language, only to be honest in the messages she wants to deliver and the picture she wants to reflect. In a way, due to lack of film production in the region, society has evolved and changed a lot in the past few decades and now we need someone like Nadine to provide a true mirror and a strong message. Dealing with the question of religion in a country that suffered from civil war is not an easy task, yet it is done in a subtle way that doesn't offend anyone. Delivering messages of the role of woman is also presented delicately and a nice sense of humour, thus ensuring the message is spelled out clearly without any preaching. It is a very positive film, well crafted in all aspects, scenario, shooting and most importantly, depicting the characteristics that makes any society special, yet part of the eternal human quest for a better life. There was a bit of too much melodrama, but in defense of the film - and from first hand experience, this is the way mothers lament and wail when losing a child. It is a very Mediterranean thing; perhaps the Italians and Greek can understand this element best. I avoided reading any reviews before drafting mine in order not to be influenced by any thoughts. In short, it is a well done film that revives hope of cultural life sprouting again from this region and reaching the world. Well done Nadine, looking forward to see your next film.

Excellent setup, excellent directing, excellent acting, Excellent movie ..... a few flaws of course ..... but as a whole the movie is well done and well targeted with an amazing message so eloquently conveyed that so deeply touches the hearts.

I Read some reviews by people getting offended from the somewhat engaged references to religion, well, they are the main target of the movie... when the time comes, a little openness is whats needed and what might drive us to be more attentive to the better angels of our nature (just what Nadine's circle of women strive so desperately to tell us all through the movie)

Where Do We Go Now? Is a Lebanese film that took me on one of the most dramatic emotional rides I can ever remember. Like some of my favorite films I've seen within the last few years, I never knew where it would go next. The movie roams around giving the viewer a taste of a number of different genres, and doing them all justice. It's such a hard film to categorize but I'll talk about a few of the genres it explores. First of all, there are some musical scenes. They do a beautiful job of capturing a Broadway tone in these moments, and I was humming along with them. I almost wish there were more of these songs, but the movie had a lot of ground to cover, so perhaps pausing for more singing would be a bad idea. Along with the musical element there was also a romance woven into the plot. It doesn't have the beginning, middle, and ending that you'd expect out of a more traditional love story, but they utilize it as a story-telling device a few times, and I thought it was quite effective as a kind of pseudo Romeo & Juliet tale.

The next category you'll find in Where Do We Go Now? Is comedy, which dominates a large part of the first act and is also sprinkled throughout the rest of the film. I was so charmed by the group of scheming wives who are trying to find ways to subtly control the men of the village. Then there are the Ukranian dancers who add another element of humor to the film which I found surprisingly delightful. But at the heart of the film is a dramatic story that echoes the actual political conflict that has plagued the Middle East for millennia. I was mesmerized by this entire story and how even in this remote village there is a constant threat of aggression taking hold and leading the people to violence. On the one hand you feel the general frustration with the fact that these two groups can't maintain peace, but on the other hand you can see how one small act confirms all their prejudices and snowballs into disaster. Where Do We Go Now? Is a marvelous movie that made me laugh and cry multiple times, which shows just how effective its emotional story is told.

This is not normally a film I'd go out of my way to watch, in fact, it was another of various film titles my mom picked to watch on the Netflix list. Now that I have, I must say I was quite bemused at the way the whole thing was depicted, that being the way a war between two different religions in Lebanon is being averted by various of the women in the way they treat their men and the way they do little things to keep them from getting out of control. While there are some humorous things here and many of the musical numbers do take things to a whimsical tone, there were also many touching dramatic things that were also effective to me, if not as much to my mom who didn't seem as touched. So on that note, I say Where Do We Go Now? is worth a look if something about conflict in a foreign country intrigues you.