The opening scene rests on the serenity of a peaceful Muslim mosque and a tranquil Christian church separated only by a loving home in the purity of an idyllic Lebanese mountain village. This community is filled with kind-hearted, compassionate people possessing an enormous energy, passion and love for their families and each other … but most importantly, for their God and their religion. Sometimes you might even say that they are more Christians or Muslims than they are Lebanese.
A melancholy provocative dance begins our story as it gently sways with women mourners dressed in black on their way to the cemetery, where they will pray for their lost loved ones who were struck down by the outrages of civil religious war. Mothers, sisters, grandmothers and wives lament over photographs of the children and men of the village they once held so close to their hearts. Their wails echo through the mountains and their tears water the flowers on the graves as they tear their hair and clothing in torment and grief.
Labaki brings the inside of her heart to bear the truth of the ugliness of hatred and war, and the senselessness of allowing emotion to ignite and destroy lives and families. She passionately throws herself into every phase of this movie. It is her message as a Lebanese mother to show the absurdity of neighbors taking up weapons to make the streets a war-zone. In just a short period of time, neighbors who shared the same laughs, cries, bread, and air can become enemies. In a frantic effort to preserve peace and love, these women go to the extremes to turn the hearts of their men inward to peace and preserve their generations from the force of war. In an effort to stop a battle before it begins, they decide to cut-off televised broadcasts to keep their men-folk from hearing the news of the impending "outside" rebellion which has resumed, and threatens to shatter the spirit of this peaceful village. Knowing the desires of their gentlemen, they decide to hire some very attractive Ukrainian women to distract the men until the coup is over. With this non-offensive film, Labaki hopes that this message will show how insane these conflicts are and how ruinous they are to humanity.
Where Do We Go Now? is a delightful comic presentation of a very serious human problem infused with family love and joy. Tolerance and understanding are key in society, and Labaki expands this theory by using Muslims to play Christian roles and Christians to play Muslim roles. Most of the actors are unprofessional, but because of this strife-torn village's history, the people are passionately invested in the parts they play. The final end result is that they have had enough of the killing, and it must stop so no more will die!
Where Do We Go Now? is a simple but poignant movie that unveils the suffering of families in war. It is a brilliant story that will make you pause and think about the nightmare that overcomes friendship and causes people to die. The Special Features include "An Evening with Nadine Labaki, Khaled Mouzanar and Anne-Dominique Toussaint," "The Making of Where Do We Go Now?" "Making the Music," and " Filmmaker's Commentary." They are a refreshing contribution to the DVD and reveal the intentions of the director, and the creativity of the music by her composer husband Khaled Mouzannar, who was responsible for the enchanting music that wrapped this fairytale in emotion. The couple seem to be a perfect collaboration of artistry and performance in its purist form. The women's solution is a monumental sacrifice of life's most meaningful passion in order to preserve peace for the generations now and to come in the future. This is an important message that will never leave your heart, and if it causes just one person to pause before picking up a weapon against his neighbor and friend, it has served its purpose.
