#140RVW
Complicated tale of religious conflict in Lebanon recalls Lysistrata. Very good but not totally satisfying; bit scattered & inconsistent…
What’s more:
Where Do We Go Now? opens with an arresting scene of female mourners moving in rhythm to visit the graves of the young men of their Lebanese village. It is absolutely striking and sets the tone for an ambitious and mostly excellent film focusing on the impact of religious strife on a small village.
The Muslim & Christian people of this village have learned to live together, but the religious divide is always present and ready to swallow all. No one in the village has been unaffected by the fighting outside their borders and their tenuous peace is threatened when new conflicts stir up old resentments. Channeling their inner Lysistrata, the women of the town resort to increasingly crafty ways to keep the fighting from their homes.
Director, actress and co-screenwriter Nadine Labaki has put together some great elements for a movie here. Possibly more than one movie. In fact, that’s really the problem. The movie is kind of a mess.
While there are excellent pieces here – an empathetic view, great humor, strong emotions – the result is not greater than the sum of its parts. It’s all a bit muddled. The overall tone is one of humor as the women show their resourcefulness and humanity. But there are equal moments of such crushing pain and loss. It’s challenging, and that’s a good thing, but the different tones are hard to square and the final mix is a bit confused.
Additionally, there really are too many balls in the air. Plot points can be hard to follow and are not always resolved satisfactorily. In the end, it feels like the filmmakers bit off more than they could chew.
But it’s a good film. I am very glad I watched it. I enjoyed the humor of these wonderful women and I was ripped apart by their suffering. I just wish it hadn’t been in the same 2 hours…
One last thing; the version I watched had English subtitles, which is fine, and English overdubbed dialogue, which is not. It was awful. I prefer to hear the actors in their own language – I don’t mind reading. It was very distracting when the spoken English did not match the subtitles (nearly always) and the quality of the voiceovers was poor. So try to find a dvd with the spoken language in the original Arabic.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
| Main Cast | Claude Baz Moussawbaa Takla, Leyla Hakim (as Layla Hakim) Afaf, Nadine Labaki Amale, Yvonne Maalouf Yvonne |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Release Date | Wed 14 Sep 2011 UTC |
| Director | Nadine Labaki |
| Genres | Comedy, Drama |
| Plot | A group of Lebanese women try to ease religious tensions between Christians and Muslims in their village. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 110 |
| Tagline | |
| Writers | Thomas Bidegain (collaboration), Nadine Labaki |
| Year | 2011 |
