“La When?”: When an Unexpected Encounter Between a Palestinian and an Israeli Puts Humanity First
With Where To?, also known as Lean? in Hebrew and La When? in Arabic, Israeli filmmaker Assaf Machnes delivers a deeply moving and profoundly human film. Set almost entirely inside Hassan’s taxi, this 95-minute drama holds the audience’s attention until the very last moment. Hassan, an endearing Palestinian taxi driver, takes a young Israeli passenger, Amir, under his wing. Newly arrived in Berlin, Amir is struggling to overcome a painful breakup. An unexpected bond gradually develops between the two men. Different on the surface, they share a common struggle: deep emotional wounds left by broken relationships that prevent them from moving forward. Both have left their native Galilee for Germany. Where To? invites viewers to reflect on the direction their lives should take when their inner world begins to fall apart.
Spanning two years, from 2022 to 2024, the film follows the evolution of both men, almost month by month. Far from home, Amir and Hassan, whose respective communities are caught up in a conflict, find themselves on a shared path. As they travel through the streets of Berlin, their conversations become increasingly personal, gradually revealing the painful experiences and disappointments that have left their mark on each of them.
Amir tries to drown his despair in alcohol and drugs, while Hassan wanders through Berlin’s streets in search of meaning. Before long, a deeply affecting friendship begins to take shape.
Through his encounter with Amir, Hassan is forced to confront his own past. Unhappy in his marriage, he longs to reconnect with the woman he once loved and find his way back to his daughter, whom he has lost touch with.
Amir becomes a catalyst in Hassan’s personal journey. By sharing his own experiences, he gradually encourages the older man to confront memories and emotions he has long kept buried.
“This inner transformation is reflected, in particular, in Hassan’s decision to find his daughter. He also regularly stops whenever he sees couples in love. These moments remind him of what he has been unable to build in his own life,” explains Assaf Machnes, the film’s director.
At its heart, the film brings us back to what matters most: human connection, free from ulterior motives and political considerations, without ever resorting to clichés. Written with remarkable sensitivity, the screenplay draws on Machnes’s own personal experiences.
“My film was born out of an encounter with Tarek, a taxi driver from Ramallah whom I met in Berlin. At the end of the ride, I felt that we had managed to understand each other, perhaps better than many other people do. That conversation, along with the personal exchanges that followed, inspired me to tell a story about two individuals who meet and gradually get to know one another,” says Machnes.
“Hassan is also connected to the story of my father, a man with many wonderful qualities who died at roughly the same age as Hassan in the film. Through my characters, I wanted to recreate the father-son relationship we shared,” he adds.
This is a journey not only through space and time, but also into the depths of the human psyche, bringing buried emotions and memories to the surface. Two very different life paths gradually converge in a place neither man could have anticipated.
With this film, the young director achieves something remarkable by placing the spotlight on Hassan’s profound humanity. Always willing to go out of his way for others, the taxi driver embodies a generosity that quietly transcends differences.
Working primarily at night, Hassan witnesses scenes that are far removed from his own everyday experience: Israelis who become suspicious when they hear him speaking Arabic on the phone, young gay men kissing openly, and scantily clad young women he drives to nightclubs.
Confessions, distress, fears, but also hope: the back seat of Hassan’s taxi becomes a reflection of the complexities and contradictions of modern society.
“The taxi represents a kind of cage in which the character finds himself trapped, imprisoned by his nocturnal routine and his own personal circumstances. Spending his nights driving strangers around without truly moving forward in his own life reinforces this sense of confinement. Choosing such a confined space also allows the audience to focus entirely on the two characters and their interactions,” Machnes explains.
Laughter, emotion, sadness, compassion, and profound questions about human relationships: this dramatic comedy explores the many facets of human psychology and shows how empathy can transcend the conflicts unfolding beyond the taxi’s windows.
There is no room for hostility, not even for a fraction of a second.
The director emphasizes the universal dimension of his film. Although the story unfolds against a backdrop of different national and cultural identities, his intention was never to make a film about political conflict.
Then comes October 7, 2023. Amir is forced to return to Israel to be with his loved ones.
Machnes could have made this devastating event the central turning point of his story. Instead, he chose to keep the focus on the relationship between the two men and on the possibility of something meaningful developing between them, even if that connection might never fully come to fruition.
This reflection feels particularly relevant today, when humanity and solidarity need to reclaim their place at the heart of society.
Ultimately, the film reminds us of the importance of humility, of seeing the other as a partner rather than an adversary, and of learning about ourselves through the eyes of someone whose background may be entirely different from our own.
La When? premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where critics hailed it as a rare gem. At its Israeli premiere at the Jerusalem Film Festival, it won awards for Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Film.
Both leading actors also received Ophir Awards for their outstanding performances, in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories.
Following its screening at the Miami Film Festival in October, the film is currently being presented at a festival in Argentina, regarded as one of the country's five leading film events. Another milestone is expected in January, when it is set to participate in the Palm Springs International Film Awards in the United States.
Machnes’s film has also secured theatrical distribution deals in 12 countries, a particularly encouraging achievement for an independent production.
“La When? is the best film you will see this year,” wrote Israeli newspaper Walla.
One thing is certain: this is a film that will leave no one indifferent, whatever their background or origins.
Caroline Haïat
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