When sectarian strife threatens their village, a group of Lebanese women decide to do anything and everything to keep their men from starting a religious war in this lively comedy

Set in a remote village where the church and the mosque stand side by side, Where Do We Go Now? follows the antics of the town’s women to keep their blowhard men from starting a religious war. As the looming spectre of strife threatens to seep into their village again, Amale (Nadine Labaki), Takla (Claude Baz Moussawbaa), Afaf (Layla Hakim), Yvonne (Yvonne Maalouf) and Saydeh (Antoinette Noufaily) are determined to protect their families from more violence and grief. To distract the men from succumbing to antagonism, they hatch schemes with zeal, beguiling the men with a cast of Ukrainian casino showgirls and serving hash cookies at a dance party. From one plot to the next, these women defy conventions and taboos — until events call for a more radical and decisive tactic. After the success of her debut Caramel, filmmaker Nadine Labaki gracefully incorporates solemnity and clairvoyance, stylization and irreverence, choreography and heartwarming simplicity. Khaled Mouzanar’s original music and songs underscore the film’s vivacious wit, and the cast — peppered with professional and nonprofessional actors — delivers charmingly genuine performances. (2011, Lebanon, 100 mins, Color, 35mm • Director/Co-writer: Nadine Labaki • Co-Writers: Jihad Hojeily, Rodney Al Haddad • Cast: Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Layla Hakim, Nadine Labaki, Antoinette Noufaily, Yvonne Maalouf • 2011 Toronto International Film Festival)