Culture

With the starring role played by the director herself, this movie was bound to be a little odd. Where Do We Go Now is set in a fictional village in Lebanon, where Christians and Muslims are living in harmony, oblivious to the war-torn nature of their relationship outside of their own community. This little bubble has been preserved by the women of the village, who have worked together to keep out radios, televisions, internet, or any other media, in an attempt to keep the men unaware of the fact that Christians and Muslims are not living as content neighbours in all parts of Lebanon. The story is told from the point of view of the women, who go to great lengths to keep their husbands in the dark about their country’s true political situation. Some of their antics are very reminiscent of Desperate Housewives, as they fake religious miracles, utilise drugs in their cooking, and even employ exotic dancers to try to distract their husbands.

What is really nice about the film is its ability to make light of something that is always taken so seriously. Although the film is a bit chaotic and messy at times, its quirkiness is very amusing, and the themes within it, though often serious ones, are all in good fun. Though its premise is based on war, it has a “rom-com” type quality to it, and even incorporates musical numbers at times. I’m a bit lost as to why Where Do We Go Now did so well at the Toronto International Film Festival (taking out the “People’s Choice” award), but if you are looking for light weekend entertainment, and you can live with subtitles, then you could do worse than this film.

3 / 5 stars