Reflective Encounters

“On the anniversary of her young son’s death, Emma takes herself to the edge of a mountain. She has no intention of ever coming home or returning the calls of her distraught family and friends. Shot on the breathtaking Faroe Islands, Where Do We Go? explores what it means to keep living when entrenched in grief. The film is brilliantly photographed, the endlessness of the Faroese mountains a clear reflection of Emma’s sense of loss and aimlessness. Director Barbara Lervig makes good use of her location, placing her characters as solitary figures in a wide frame, almost swallowed by the landscape.

The eventual direction of the film’s plot brings to mind **that old favourite, It’s a Wonderful Life. An otherworldly presence helping someone on the edge to embrace life again is a trope that has been keenly repeated in all media. Perhaps we return so often to this archetype for its familiarity - a certain kind of comfort when we’re feeling lost and desolate.

Where Do We Go? has a good heart - it offers hope, and honours the strength it takes to keep on living after a tragedy. It also raises a question about how we tell stories of people choosing to live again. These themes are universal - is it time to be more innovative in how we explore them?”

— Malaika Kegode