Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Where Do We Go Now? Blu-ray Movie Review

A movie about the start of something better.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 11, 2012

Destiny then drove them to find a new way.

Religious conflict extends to the beginning of recorded time and probably well before that. It's evolved only as man and technology have allowed it, both finding new and ever more destructive ways to further the divide and only expand, not reduce, prejudices and planned and plotted and executed verbal and physical attacks on others who merely hold a differing viewpoint. Sectarian violence is probably here to stay, but in one Lebanese village, depicted in one fictional movie, co-existence is a fact of life, peace is the happy medium, and Christians and Muslims alike get along wonderfully like good neighbors, not mortal enemies. But when the men take it upon themselves to create a divide because, well, that's what the world preaches and that's what centuries of conditioning tells them to do, the ladies make it their mission in life to ease tensions and ensure that peace reigns supreme and that the violence that grips the rest of the world -- and is always readily evident even on their own borders -- cannot divide and conquer their village and destroy the harmony it holds so dear. Director Nadine Labaki's Where Do We Go Now? is a joyous, humorous, dramatic, sincere, and well-made effort meant to show the folly not of differences but rather in allowing those differences to become something harmful, something meant to not merely challenge a viewpoint but rather, in time, destroy lives. The movie largely succeeds as a breezy, fun little diversion with a purpose, a picture that's unafraid to depict characters taking a few unique measures in an effort to keep the peace.

Trying to decide where to go from here.

The inhabitants of a small Lebanese village live in peace and harmony, even if the village is home to a fairly even split of Christians and Muslims, even if they bury their dead in separate graveyards, even as sectarian clashes shape the political and religious landscape in the rest of the nation, and even while land mines surround the village and make the simplest journey far more precarious than it needs to be. The town is so isolated that news of clashes elsewhere in the country have yet to reach the village. A radio with almost no reception and a TV capable of displaying only a shaky signal are the only one-way means of communication with the outside world at the village's disposal. Radio reception requires a lengthy antenna, and television viewing is a public event shared by the entire village. Yet even as they exist in relative peace, the people are not completely immune for tragedy. The women bury their dead and tend to their grave sites, cursing the causes of their loved ones deaths. When the ladies hear word that new violence has erupted elsewhere in Lebanon, they quickly change the radio station. When the TV brings news of violence, the women drown out the sound with a sudden burst of chatter. Unfortunately, a cross is accidentally broken in the church and goats mistakenly enter the mosque. The men split into religious groups and are quickly at one another's throats. The women won't have it, though; they've shed too many tears and buried too many loved ones for the violence to spill over into their own front yards. The ladies, led by Amale (played by Director Nadine Labaki), take matters into their own hands to ensure that religious violence won't be the end of their peaceful existence.

What if all it took for Christians and Muslims -- or those of any religious, political, or personal differences -- to get along was some Ukrainian women and a little weed? In a world shaped by strife, stress, threats, uncertainty, and wars of words and wars of weapons, the solution just cannot be that simple, can it? Director Nadine Labaki takes a complex problem and solves it creatively -- or gets creative in taking the first steps in solving it -- in Where Do We Go Now?, a fictional tale of the "little things" getting in the way of big problems. It depicts a world that might not be recognizable from the Western perspective but that's nevertheless home to all-too-common problems that are often only seen in a picture or heard in a sound byte and never fully understood in a larger context where differences are either divisive or differences are set aside in the name of understanding and togetherness. Food and drink and alluring women and a little hashish probably aren't enough to settle stormy waters and put an end to centuries of hatred and mistrust and put a halt to future violence, but in Where Do We Go Now? it's all a start, as the film's title suggests. Here's to settling things down, it says, but such are certainly not the end-all, be-all answers to the world's problems. It's a clever and fun and roundabout way of starting a dialogue, not ending an issue that's largely defined an entire planet's history. The movie takes very real problems with deadly serious consequences -- that are even realized in the midst of the effort to stop them -- and shines a bright and breezy but not dismissive light on them. Labaki's intentions are true, and the movie largely succeeds in entertaining audiences while showing the follies of inter-religious conflict and, maybe, the future starting point for peace: women.

Where Do We Go Now? doesn't make overreaching claims about the sexes and certainly doesn't champion one religion over the other. While the ladies take the lead -- somebody has to -- in finding a way out of crisis, they don't offer any permeant, sweeping solutions. But it's the start of something good, the beginning of a way out of trouble. They say all politics are local, and maybe the answers to the world's largest religious confrontations must begin at the local level, too. The film depicts what works for two small groups in one little village. The movie is made to be a beacon of hope but also, and more so, a humorous little excursion, a movie which finds the funny in decidedly unfunny business. The movie is catchy and breezy and the characters likable and well-developed. It's easy to understand where they're coming from, where they are going, and why they are going there. History and upbringing and well-ingrained beliefs are not easy to ignore, but neither is the potential for a life of violence and sorrow. This is a movie that tackles its issues in stride and not with a heavy hand. It offers a unique solution to one village's problems, nothing more and nothing less. It makes no claims that its answers are the right answers, but it does show that effort and the value of taking the lead and offering some sort of solution is preferable to sitting back and allowing more violence to take hold and transform a peaceable village into just another home to personal ruin. Where Do We Go Now? is beautifully photographed and expertly acted; it's a good all-around picture that's funny and serious at the same time, and maybe even before hard answers to real problems are discovered, the film suggests, the world needs a little more laughter and creativity to lead the way to peace.

Where Do We Go Now? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Where Do We Go Now? arrives on Blu-ray with another wonderful 1080p high definition transfer from Sony. This image is everything viewers have come to expect from a Sony Blu-ray transfer. The filmed elements are beautifully presented in high definition. A light grain overlay appears over the entire image, offering a pleasing film-like texture throughout the movie. Details are fabulous. The image is steady and crystal-clear, perhaps not quite as infinitely detailed as the very finest and most vibrant and precise Blu-ray discs, but this transfer perfectly reflects the picture's elements with ease. The village is beautifully captured, right down to the sandy and pebbly terrain. Structures are visibly complex in texture, as are clothing lines and facial details. Colors are wonderful, dominated by dusty and flat earthen shades that take on a striking natural appearance. The image is dotted with colorful headscarves that give the movie a splash of color and the transfer some shades to truly show its strengths. Blacks can look a bit washed out at times -- notably at film's start -- but generally they're deep and accurate. Likewise, flesh tones reflect a true, natural shading. The image appears free of any unwanted compression issues, print wear, edge enhancement, or other distracting elements. This is another wondrous high definition presentation from Sony.

Where Do We Go Now? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Where Do We Go Now? features a DTS-HD MA 5.0 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is polished and aurally effective, opening with beautifully rich, light, airy, well-spaced, and seamless music. These subtle notes, as well as the film's more lively beats, will impress with extravagant clarity and a rich, enveloping presence. The track incorporates plenty of minor environmental ambience that nicely recreates the setting. Subtle breezes, gently rustling leaves, chirping birds, and other natural elements give sonic shape to the Lebanese village. There's an aurally correct sloppiness to the poorly received radio reception and low-grade television speaker output in those few scenes in which their sounds are at the center of this soundtrack. Dialogue plays crisply and clearly from the center, representing the film's driving force that's never lost underneath surrounding effects. Despite the absence of a subwoofer signal, the track comes across as able-bodied and full. This is another fine example of Sony's Blu-ray audio handiwork. Included are optional English subtitles in support of the original Arabic soundtrack.

Where Do We Go Now? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Where Do We Go Now? contains the following bonus features:

• Audio Commentary: Director Nadine Labaki and Composer Khaled Mouzanar speak on the film's structure, its plot, the universal themes, casting, the performances and the mixture of professional and nonprofessional actors, the film's music, and more. The participants cover basic elements but expand on them throughout the track. It's well-spoken and informative; fans of the film or the track's participants should give this one a listen.
• An Evening with Nadine Labaki, Anne-Dominique Toussaint, and Khaled Mouzanar (1080p, 39:11): The Actor/Director, Producer, and Composer, along with Moderator Stephen Farber, introduce the film and respond to questions about its origins, evolution, structure, story, characters, music and score, themes, the movie's perspective, and plenty more
• The Making of Where Do We Go Now? (1080p, 18:16): Raw behind-the-scenes footage that takes viewers onto the set for a pure insight into the making of a movie.
• Where Do We Go Now?-Making the Music (480p, 12:16): Composer Khaled Mouzanar shares his thoughts on the film's music. In French with English subtitles.
• Where Do We Go Now? Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:16).
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Where Do We Go Now? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Where Do We Go Now? won't put an end to the world's religious strife, but it shows that taking a stand and making the effort to solve the problem -- no matter how unorthodox the solutions may be -- is preferable to allowing violence to beget more violence, of allowing a peaceful and peace-loving village to devolve into a cesspool of hate and violence, for its land to become as deadly as the mine field that surrounds it. The movie makes light of the solution rather than the problem. It doesn't disparage religion or those who practice any of its variants, but it does speak loudly against divisions becoming more than a mere war of words. It's a fun but meaningful and heartfelt movie that tells a good story and is shaped by strong performances, quality direction, and a wonderful score. Sony's Blu-ray release of Where Do We Go Now? features standout video, superb audio, and a good assortment of extras. Highly recommended.