I have just seen this film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It moved me very much. I love road movies anyway, but this one showed me a part of the world (Eastern Europe, Saudi Arabia) that I know very little about. The scenes in the desert were stunning, and the muted colors throughout made the film very natural looking. The close ups were remarkably poignant, I got to love the face of Nicolas Cazale, so sensitive and expressive (brooding, a bit like a young Richard Gere)and the stern expression of the older actor. Gripping story! I noticed that the audience was very quiet, spellbound. The end was predictable, but I did not mind. There was a lot of meaning in this journey, for both protagonists, which was satisfying. What I love most about road movies (Paris, Texas; The Motorcycle Diaries): the parallels to anybody's journey and life story since we are all on the road somewhere...
A Conservative Muslim father and his disobliging son set out from France by car across Europe on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Along the way, their stark differences and attitudes to ...more
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