Ryan McNeil
In certain spots around the world, violence has just become a way of life. Parents outlive their children constantly, and wives continually bury their husbands. You have to believe that the friends and family who survive them want to find a better way. You can almost sense them standing at the same crossroads they’ve travelled a dozen times, wondering which road will take them to a better place.
WHERE DO WE GO NOW? takes place in a small isolated village in Lebanon, one whose Christians and Muslims have found a way to live side-by-side in a delicate peace. the peace is so delicate in fact that the women in town constantly break radios, break televisions, and burn newspapers, so that the more short-tempered men cannot learn about the civil strife happening in the surrounding areas.
The women have lead the charge with the religious co-existence, so much so that the budding romance between the christian Amele (director Nadine Labaki) and the muslim Rabih (Julian Farhat) doesn’t flare forbidden love so much as it causes each side to marvel at how it will act as a bridge to the other.
Sadly though, odd acts of circumstance are seen as acts of desecration. Soon the men of each religion are pointing fingers at each other, and the tensions in town rise. At this point, it’s up to the women in town to get creative and keep the peace. To do this, no method is out-of-bounds: not faking miracles, not spiking the food, not even bringing in Ukrainian strippers.
Trying to nail down this film’s genre is a tricky thing. It has funny moments, but it’s not a comedy. It has musical numbers, but it’s not a musical. And while there are moments of weight here and there, it’s hard to classify it as a drama either. Trying to work without such labels is a good thing! However, when one eschews labels in the hopes of creating something unique, one has to come back with a clear vision…which is where I think WHERE DO WE GO NOW? goes wrong.
Its core underlying message – that different cultures and religions must get along better – is a sound one. I thought it was particularly well underscored when an elder in the town’s mosque is confronted with members of his community wanting to take up arms because of news that secular violence is happening in the region. The elder is quick to point out to them, that they should not be swayed by what is happening “out there”; they must remember what life is like “right here”. He wants them to eschew a cause in the name of their own community.
The push for religious harmony is a worthy story to tell, and one that is always current. However, the tapestry that the film has woven to tell this story of unity has a few loose threads.
While I wouldn’t call the film a musical, it does pause the action two or three times for a musical number. Now one of them is completely within the scope of the plot (when the Ukrainian women perform one of their routines). The rest however felt somewhat shoehorned into the film. This isn’t like Bollywood, where characters can break into song while out shopping for a new dress – there at least the musical moments fall according to a rhythm. In this film, the songs seemed to come out of nowhere – and in the case of the final one, it seemed to undermine the dramatic tension the film had built.
If I had a wish, it would be that in lieu of full-on musical numbers, the film had chosen to stage scenes that used lyricless rhythm and movement, such as the sublime sequence that opens the film. It’s easy to envision scenes like the village women baking or Amele and Rabih’s courtship to be expressed with gentle choreography, and it would go further to echo the wonderful scene that begins the film. For this story, the full-on song and dance scenes feel a step too far. The story has already leaned back on gentle comedy to help make the secular divisions easier to swallow; laughing about it and while we sing and dance feels like reducing its weight.
What the film does well is underscore the full effect of fighting in the name of religion. Through time crusaders have forgotten that they aren’t just killing Muslims, Christians, Jews, and many others – they are also killing sons, brothers, fathers, sisters, and daughters. Through history, we have de-humanize our enemies by painting them with the broadest brush. WHERE DO WE GO NOW reminds us that after the bullet finds its target, the pain will really begin for the family of the fallen…and they are seldom as militant.
There are many good things to take away from WHERE DO WE GO NOW?, not the least of which is some wonderful acting by a whole team of gifted actresses. The movie has a wonderful look, and wants us to ask ourselves just how far we should carry a grudge. While I think the overall product is rough around the edges, there is a lot to like about the film and its individual moments.
I was a big fan of Caramel so I’m really looking forward to this.
Fair warning – I’ve heard people who have seen CARAMEL were let down by this follow-up. Still check it out, but perhaps temper your expectations.