Christians and Muslims live together in a very isolated Lebanese village. The men, none too bright, flare any perceived grievance into testosterone-fueled tribal fury. Knowing that any trivial incident can spark an escalation to sectarian slaughter, the women, aided by the imam and the priest, work tirelessly to extinguish every possible provocation. The women will stop at nothing, including sabotaging the village’s only TV, faking a miracle, medicating the pastries and even hiring a van full of Ukrainian strippers.
This story could have been played broadly like Lysistrata. There are many funny moments, but Where Do We Go Now? is more than farce. To these women, war is not theoretical. We can tell from their language, which references men crouching in the attics and looking under beds, that they have survived past sectarian violence. And we see the village cemetery, filled with the headstones of young men. The women and the clerics have seen war, and they are desperate to avoid it. That desperation adds a sting to the comedy, and makes Where Do We Go Now? a pretty good movie.