Le grand voyage (2004)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Ismaël Ferroukhi

Writer:

Ismaël Ferroukhi (writer)

Release Date:

24 November 2004 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Reda, a young French-Moroccan guy and his old father drive from the south of France to Mecca in order for the father to do his pilgrimage. At first distant, they gradually learn to know each other.

Plot Keywords:

Mecca | Pilgrimage | French Moroccan | Father Son Relationship | Illiteracy

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cazalé	...	Reda
Mohamed Majd	...	The Father
Jacky Nercessian	...	Mustapha
Ghina Ognianova	...	La vieille femme
Kamel Belghazi	...	Khalid
Atik Mohamed	...	Le pélerin Ahmad
Malika Mesrar El Hadaoui	...	La mère
François Baroni	...	Le douanier italien
Krassi Kpacu	...	Le douanier serbe
Kirill Kavadarkov	...	Le barman yougoslave
Blajo Wymenski	...	L'homme du change
Diyan Machev	...	L'homme bavard (as Dean Matchev)
Erol Atac	...	Douanier turc 1 (as Erol Ataç)
Sadik Deveci	...	Douanier turc 2
Nihat Nikerel	...	Chef policier turc

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

France | Morocco

Language:

Bulgarian | French | Arabic | English | Italian | Turkish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Brazil:10 (Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival) | Brazil:Livre | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:AL | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:Atp | Ireland:PG

Filming Locations:

Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Ognon Pictures

Quotes:

Reda: Why didn't you fly to Mecca? It's a lot simpler.
The Father: When the waters of the ocean rise to the heavens, they lose their bitterness to become pure again...
Reda: What?
The Father: The ocean waters evaporate as they rise to the clouds. And as they evaporate they become fresh. That's why it's better to go on your pilgrimage on foot than on horseback, better on horseback than by car, better by car than by boat, better by boat than by plane.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Humbert Balsan, producteur rebelle (2006) (TV)

poignant, thought-provoking, touching

I won't repeat all that has been said already by other viewers of this film.

In my opinion this is an excellent film, not only as a very human tale of the developing relationship between a father and his grown-up son, but also as a little window onto the world of practising Islam, for those like me who are not very familiar with that religion.

An important aspect of this story is that of the young man's relation to his father's beliefs and practices, and how his attitude towards the religion seems to alter in subtle ways as we progress on their journey with them.

This is a very thought-provoking, enjoyable and well-made film that I would recommend to anyone with brain and heart.