Many are calling Nadine Labaki’s latest film Where Do We Go Now?- a drama, indeed it is, but amidst the sincere real-as-can-be scenes that will leave you in tears and sniffles, you will sporadically burst out in laughter, as the movie captures the essence of EXACTLY what a remote Lebanese village would be like with everyday authentic characters many of us can relate to.
I don’t want to give away too much, but I have to say this, Where Do We Go Now?, carries a powerful message with the witty style, charm, song and dance that Labaki’s previous movie Caramel brought to us, set in a time when many Lebanese have allowed their sectarian differences to take front seat, mocking things some of us may hold so sacred, breaking taboos, at times even smashing a statue of the Virgin Mary and ransacking a mosque with livestock- Yup this all seems so over-the-top and risky, but in its context, it miraculously ( no pun intended) manages to offend no one ( until now at least.)
It’s about a group of women in a village, who come together and do whatever it takes to try to maintain peace and harmony between the Christian and Muslim inhabitants at a time when sectarian strife erupts in surrounding Lebanese regions.
We all have preconceived notions and prejudices of people we perceive as “different” than us, this movie will call you out on all of these stereotypes and mock you until you laugh and cry, it will also bring you to the realization that the things that can bring you closer together are definitely more than the ones that take you apart. Go See It!
Check out my new favorite song called ” Hashish of My Heart”
