Grand Tour - English subtitled
Playful and adventurous historical drama by Miguel Gomes (Tabu) about a British civil servant who, in order to escape his impending marriage, travels across Asia, pursued by his fiancée. Winner of the Best Director award at Cannes.
The latest feature from Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes is a delirious, romantic, wildly ambitious travelogue. The film’s Grand Tour begins in 1917 in the Burmese capital of Rangoon, where gloomy British diplomat Edward is due to meet his fiancée Molly, arriving after a protracted, long-distance engagement. Instead, he panics and flees, hopping on a ship to Singapore and setting off a long journey through Asia, increasingly laden with doubt, hangovers, and existential anguish. Meanwhile, the more optimistic Molly responds to her sudden abandonment with good faith, humour, and Katharine Hepburn-like brio, determined to track down and marry her bashful beau.
Alternating contemporary documentary fragments with dazzling, painstakingly detailed sequences shot on a soundstage, the kaleidoscopic images toggle eras, cultures, and styles. Situated between artifice and actuality, Grand Tour harkens back to the golden age of silent cinema. It’s a magnificent excursion that reminds us of cinema’s singular ability to interrogate and refine our positions in the world. An excellent film for those who don’t shy away from experiments.