The Great Journey (2004)

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.

Director:

Ismaël Ferroukhi

Writer:

Ismaël Ferroukhi

Stars:

Nicolas Cazalé, Mohamed Majd, Jacky Nercessian

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Reda, summoned to accompany his father on a pilgrimage to Mecca, complies reluctantly - as he preparing for his baccalaureat and, even more important, has a secret love relationship. The trip across Europe in a broken-down car is also the departure of his father: upon arrival in Mecca, both Reda and his father are not the characters they were at the start of the movie. Avoiding the hackneyed theme of the return to the homeland, the film uses the departure to renew a connection between two generation.

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Plot Keywords:

belgrade serbia | yugoslavia | serbia | pilgrimage | trip | 

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Taglines:

A voyage beyond corporal life

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Morocco Bulgaria Turkey

Language:

Arabic French Bulgarian Serbo-Croatian Turkish Italian English

Release Date:

24 November 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

The Great Journey

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ognon Pictures,Arte France Cinéma,Soread-2M

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Reda: Where is my cell-phone?
The Father: It's in a garbage can 200 miles away.

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Connections

Featured in Humbert Balsan, producteur rebelle (2006)

User Reviews

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.