E ora dove andiamo?

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 by the Lebanese-Canadian director Nadine Labike is set in a war-torn village in Lebanon. The backdrop of the movie is the Christian-Muslim conflict plaguing the region at large, and its effect on the mixed population of the village dwellers. The comedy-drama focuses on a group of women and their antics to keep the men off each other's throats. It starts off in an almost utopian setting, with the view of the village mosque and church at dusk in a single frame, symbolizing the ideal of peaceful existence between the Christians and Muslims.

The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the people's choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Nadine, who also acts in the film, may be accused by some quarters of trivializing the conflict between the Abrahamic faiths with her comic take on religion, complete with a climax reminiscent of a Cheech and Chong flick. However, the tone of the film remains somber throughout, and the viewer is often reminded of the toll of the conflict on both sides of the religious divide, with glimpses of intermittent sectarian strife.

The intelligent dialogue, interspersed with repartee between the female characters is refreshingly entertaining, offering a peek inside the (mostly) segregated Arab society and humanizing a population segment often portrayed as meek and subservient to the other sex.

Nadine's second directorial venture after Caramel continues to court controversy, with an ending which Labaki acknowledges might "raise a lot of polemics. It might upset people who are a bit fanatic or too conservative..." By the end of the film, Nadine is sure to rouse some thought-provoking questions in the viewers mind, fulfilling the obligation to her craft and pushing the envelope. Where Do We Go Now has been chosen as the Lebanon's 2011 entry in the best foreign language film category for the Academy Awards.

I am a big fan of IMDb. I always come here for reference to see movie ratings and reviews. But I never had an account--at least not until today. I just came back from watching "Where Do We Go Now?" and I am completely blown away. I signed up just to write a review and to tell who ever reads this to go and watch this movie. I laughed. I cried. I connected with the characters. I loved the music, the mood and the message of the movie. I will not reveal anything about the storyline so as not to spoil it for you. But trust me on this, you will certainly not regret it. Nadine Labaki has succeeded in orchestrating a masterpiece of a movie. At last, a Lebanese attempt that makes it worthwhile.

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.

This is a beautifully executed story that will get you angry, sad, confused, enlightened and amused as it unfolds before you. This is the story of a small community barely keeping itself together, surrounded as it is by violent conflicts between opposing religious groups. Here though, the religious leaders are in unison with the women - they do not want to see any inter-religious strife. They do not want to witness any more deaths amongst the young men. The cemetery is full of the bodies of the village's youth and tended by the weeping women who's hopes and dreams for the future are prematurely ended by the deaths of their sons. With slightly inept determination the women decide to take matters into their own hands. They achieve an unsteady truce but at least life goes on. Hope is given a second chance. A lovely, heart warming film.