Director: Nadine LabakiCast: Nadine Labaki, Claude Baz Moussawbaa, Leyla Hakim, Yvonne Maalouf, Antoinette Noufaily
UK Certificate: 12
Language: Arabic (English subtitles)
Runtime: 97minutes
Format: DVD, download and on-demand
Extras: Scene selection, audio set-up
UK release date: 15th October 2012
(Revolver Entertainment)
Following her successful debut with Caramel in 2007, this is the second feature film from Lebanese actor & director Nadine Labaki. It tells the story of a group of women determined to ease the rising tensions between the Christian and Muslim inhabitants of their village, by any means neccessary.
With the blessing from their religious leaders, the women fake a miracle in the church, hire Ukranian belly dancers and bake hash cakes in the hope of keeping their sons and husbands pre-occupied with more lighthearted matters. They also sabotage the radio and TV reception, and newspaper delivery to the village in the hope of keeping the lid on the news from the rest of the country where the sectarian violence is on the increase.
An uncomfortable mix of comedy and serious drama, with random musical interludes scattered throughout, it feels like Labaki tries to cram too many things in one film. The shifts in tone are drastic, going from laugh-out-loud moments to personal tragedy, then back to a cheesy song-and-dance number in the blink of an eye. Sticking with one genre and mood throughout would have made for a stronger, more cohesive film.
Using a voiceover intro, Labaki's intention was to present the story like a fairy tale without a specific time/place setting, and certainly the film's overall strong message regarding the need for tolerance and the pointlessness of violence is worthwhile, and will resonate in many places around the world where there is conflict.
Somewhat dubious however is the fact that all women in the village are shown as a peace-loving, intelligent group acting in unison, while the majority of men (however true this may be in real life) are portrayed as prejudiced, easily manipulated morons. Only the village priest and imam come out of it looking civilised.
There is a hint of inter-faith romance between Amale (played by Nadine Labaki herself) and the village painter Rabih, they even sing a song to each other, but all that is soon forgotten about and never gets resolved. The sudden willingness of women to change religions and remove their head scarves is hard to swallow, as is the abrupt ending without much of a conclusion other than to pose the obvious question in the title, can we ever just live together as neighbours, in peace?
It's interesting to learn that a lot of the cast used were amateur actors. I wouldn't have known any different, they all came across perfectly fine and natural on screen, only one or two of the Ukranian "strippers" appeared a little stiff.
One very moving performance worth noting came from Claude Baz Moussawbaa. She plays a mother stricken with grief, after one of her sons is caught in the crossfire and killed. When her older son seeks revenge, she is forced into a desperate act to keep him safe and to prevent further bloodshed. Convincing portrayal by an actress who hopefully we'll get to see more of in the future.
Yvonne Maalouf's comedic timing was also a hoot, her scene where she's relaying messages from the Virgin Mary had me in stitches. Indeed there is great potential for laughs in the story, and it's a shame Labaki didn't go for an all-out comedy. I would have loved that.
Overall, Where Do We Go Now is still worth checking out on DVD, despite the flaws in the script. It's a well-intentioned, engaging and often very entertaining effort from a talented filmmaker.
http://www.revolvergroup.com/uk/dvd-bluray/view/where-do-we-go-now
http://www.wheredowegonow.co.uk/