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Jacob Duke
Movie Review
1: What is the new concept that was introduced to you that you were not aware of before watching the movies?
A new concept that was introduced to me from the movie was the idea of an Arab country like Lebanon being almost 50% Christian and the other half Muslim. It was interesting to see how a small village could be so affected by the differences in religion. When I think of how affected the village was, it makes me wonder how affected is the rest of the country? I understand this film is set around a war between religions, but to what extent do people take this war in other parts of the country? And it also made me wonder, how do other groups, such as the group of women in the village, effect the outcome of war? Are there more groups trying to mend the differences between people? Or do most groups believe in the superiority of their own religion versus that of the other?
2: What is the thing that intrigued you/ entertained you and/or surprised you the most in general? Give examples.
What surprised me the most was to see the willingness the women had to work together to build a better community for everyone. When comparing this film to other films I’ve seen about Arab women, they are also portrayed as defenseless or under control of the men. It was actually refreshing to see the role shifts here. Instead of the women being controlled by the men, the men are actually being manipulated by the women. Having little/to no knowledge of the daily lives of Arab villagers, I wonder how true this portrayal is? I’m sure there are organized groups dedicated to form bonds between people. But how many of those people are women? How do they aid in helping to relieve tensions? And how are the received by the people whom they work with?
3; What would you hope to have seen differently in the movie to improve your experience.
Growing up in a western civilization, I’ve grown accustomed to the idea of women having a more up-front role in different situations. Of course, not all roles played by women in a western film capture the idea of women independence, but they do manage to show how the woman/women had more control of the situation they were in. In this film, the women had to work in the background to plan what they were going to do to get the men in the village to come together. Though their plan is brilliant, I would have liked to see a more upfront knowledge that the women are in charge of the situation and that it was more obvious.
But, I do have to admit, I liked how the film showed the separation of men and women. You were really able to see how the women were able to plan specific “tricks” to get their point across without having to take individual responsibility for their actions. It was more of a “we are a group and we will stay a group no matter what” versus an “all for their own” mentality.
TOM:
This movie appeared to be a mix of comedy, drama and at times almost seemed like a musical as well. The comedy was interesting, including the ideas of making foods with drugs to keep men from wanting to fight, but had an underlying tone that was serious. Namely, that in such a small place it is so ludicrous to keep having warring factions based solely on religious beliefs that some would think of trying anything, no matter how obscene, to stop them.
I thought there were two other considerations this movie raised. First, that a small area that perpetually fights each other ultimately will wipe itself out. The fighting destroys what they are trying to preserve.
Second, it raises a gender question- is it the men that are always wanting to fight, and if so, perhaps they would all be better off if the women were making the important decisions. That's a pretty daring suggestion, however subtle, given the Islamic culture prevalent in the region, but it does bring to light that there is an associated tendency of predominantly male, religiously-motivated factions that tend to destroy one another.
Perhaps it is long overdue to let the women decide ;)
Zana Silevani
Movie Assignment
Beginning Arabic
What is the new concept that was introduced to you , that you were not aware of before
watching the movie?
One new concept that immediately struck me was the relationship dynamics between
the woman and the village and the men in the village. I have noticed that the separation
between men and women in general has a profound effect on relationships in these
societies. It was interesting how the older women in the village constantly look out for
and defend the younger and more vulnerable women in the group. Furthermore, the
conflict between Muslims and Christians in the village was completely resulted from
outside information which was uninterpreted. It goes to show how important of a role
media is in the lives of rural populations in the Middle East.
What is the thing that intrigued you/ entertained you and/or surprised you the most in
general? Give examples.
I thought it was hilarious how the only thing that forced the men in the village to
cooperate was the introduction of Ukrainian prostitutes. It really goes to show how
superficial some conflicts really are. The conflicts in the village between Muslims and
Christians did not posses any true merit, but was rather a result of tony skirmishes.
Also, the acting was superb and I thought the music really complimented the scenes
very well. The film was very unique and extremely artistic. Overall I think this film
intended to represent Lebanese society as a whole, rather than a small village with
superficial problems.
What would you hope to have seen differently in the movie to improve your experience?
I very much enjoyed this film and thought it was a very unique perspective regarding the
gender politics within Lebanese society, but I would very much prefer much more
organized storytelling. At time is found myself wondering where the scene was going
because it felt as though it was randomly shot. Overall it was a fantastic film, but greater
organization would have gone a long way.
ARAB 1020-001
Fahad Alhamidan
Movie Review Assignment
Since I grew up in Kuwait, most of the concepts presented in the film “Where Do We Go Now,” were familiar to me. However, I did not know that in Lebanon they have/had coexisting religions in the same village. Currently, in Kuwait we have mosques and churches, but the relationship between the individuals who have different religion does not seem as strong as presented in the film. Thus, having such a strong relationship between individuals was the most surprising thing to me. There is no doubt that anyone’s’ ultimate goal is to live peacefully, so it was interesting to see the females of the village getting together and planning to find suitable solutions to solve any problem that might occur. For example, they buried the hidden guns somewhere else to avoid having another murder (other than the one that happened away from the village). Personally, I liked the movie, but I hoped that the love story presented would have ended with marriage at the end. Because this would assure the audience that coexistence and living peacefully can actually happen regardless of the differences.
Katina Basdekas
I thought this movie was very funny. I wasn't expecting it to be funny for someone like me, who can't relate very heavily to this film. I wasn't familiar with the fact that weed was so accessible, and openly used in the Middle East. I really loved the concept of the women in the village sticking together when the men were fighting and trying to separate the religions. The part that was the most entertaining for me was towards the very end when the women pretended to switch religions, so their husbands and sons would finally stop with the unnecessary fighting. The only thing in the movie that I thought it could have been fine without was the romantic subplot between Amale and Rabih. It didn't have any relevance in the plot of the movie and didn't resolve at the end. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would, and would defiantly watch it again.
“Take the finest Hash
Worth its weight in gold
Yellow or Brown, it makes no difference
Add some more, don’t be shy
The Hashish comes from my heart”
----- Excerpt from the greatest impromptu plot-deviation musical number in the history of film.
In a person’s life, they may have a cinematic experience that completely changes their life. A movie so powerful, so raw, so honest that the annals of moviemaking are opened immediately for its lifetime preservation.
Where do We Go Now? Is NOT that movie. But you know what…. It’s not a bad one either!
Where Do We Go Now? Is set in a Lebanese village which is primarily cut off from the rest of the region by a field of landmines. One small bridge serves as the only contact with the outside world. In this village, a tight-knit community of Muslims and Christians have lived together peacefully for years. However, unknown forces pull the village into strife, pitting neighbor against neighbor. It is up to the Mayor’s wife, Yvonne, and her cohort of respected ladies in the village, to keep the men from killing each other. They also make hash brownies.
The first time I attempted to make hash brownies, I completely forgot about the importance of ensuring you have a well-choreographed musical number to perform during their preparation. While I am not as crass to assume that all Lebanese ladies burst into song and dance while making marijuana edibles, I certainly have never had the foresight to do the same. As such, my hash brownies did not turn out nearly as kind as the ladies of the village make them. To prove my point, their husbands end up getting so high that they completely forgot why they we’re fighting each other. Which brings us to the moral of the story: Marijuana can end war!
This movie is rife with comedy, tragedy, violence, love, forgiveness, and even redemption. It tells a story and teaches a lesson that moves the viewer into a sense of empathy, coupled with the emotional raw power of what could be construed as one of the funniest sad movies I’ve ever seen, or one of the saddest funny movies I’ve ever seen. Either way, the character of the village mayor looks very much like Danny Devito, an observation I happened across after smoking what some might consider a to be a heroic amount of cannabis.
But the most intriguing thing to a viewer that is only vaguely familiar with middle eastern culture would be the fact that as tough and as macho as these guys want to be, these sisters run the friggin’ town, best believe dat! As an example of their political savvy, at one point In the plotline, this seemingly innocuous band of sweet little old ladies hire what seems to be…well…hookers. Why they do this, I have no idea. But it was certainly funnier than anything Ben Stiller ever did. As such, the men of the village are temporarily distracted by bountiful Ukrainian cleavage and the perverse thoughts that come with it as they regress back into adolescence, leaving the women of the village to further their plans.
In summation, Where Do we Go Now? is a lighthearted romp mixed with gut-wrenching tragedy that serves to entertain even the most skeptical of undergraduate Beginning Arabic II students at the University of Colorado Denver. A movie well worth your time, especially if watching it saves you from taking what could have been a very painful exam but you have a super-awesome professor that knows you need a nice bump in your grade so you do the review and try to make it funny because the movie was actually really, really, funny and I literally played the hash brownies song over and over again because it’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.
Final Rating: 7/10. It may not be Along the Waterfront, but if you’ve watched everything on your Netflix queue and your girlfriend wants to watch something that doesn’t involve explosions and fart jokes, Where Do We Go Now? is certainly worth a rental.
Oh yeah, and the village’s imam and priest take off with the Ukrainian dancers. Perfect.
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