Grand Tour

1918, Burma. Edward, a British civil servant, waits on the harbour for his fiancée Molly to arrive from London. He looks miserable. On a whim, Edward jumps on a boat leaving for Singapore. Upon arrival, he receives a telegram from Molly: she’s coming to join him. So Edward keeps on moving. Siam, Indochina, the Philippines, Japan, China, with Molly always one step behind. When Edward can’t go any further the story begins again, with the journey repeated from Molly’s perspective. How does the quote go: first as tragedy, then as farce? Or is it the other way around? Recalling films from the studio era, the scenes with the leads are shot on soundstages. The countries they traverse, however, are represented through present-day documentary footage collected by Miguel Gomes and his collaborators, who embarked on the same itinerary as the characters before writing the script. Gomes thus bridges a hundred years of history and, in doing so, pays tribute to cinema’s evolution across the same period. Availing himself of virtually every technique and device available in the filmmaker’s toolkit, this most cinephilic of directors composes a playful and seductive ode to his chosen artform. (Giovanni Marchini Camia) 

In the presence of Miguel Gomes and Maureen Fazendeiro (Screenplay).

On October 27, 2024, there will be a talk with Miguel Gomes and Maureen Fazendeiro at VIENNALE ZENTRALINO,. More information here!

Miguel Gomes: ENTREANTO (1999, K), 31 (2001, K), KALKITOS (2002, K), A CARA QUE MERECES (2004), CÂNTICO DAS CRIATURAS (2006, K), AQUELE QUERIDO MÊS DE AGOSTO (2008), TABU (2012), REDEMPTION (2013, K), AS MIL E UMA NOITES (2015), DIÁRIOS DE OTSOGA (2021, KO-REGIE)