Le Grand Voyage Movie Review:


Combining epic journeys that are both physical and internal, first-time Moroccan filmmaker Ferroukhi creates a powerfully involving story that beautifully brings out the characters' souls and also tells us a lot about the world we live in.

At 18, Reda (Cazalé) has always lived in southern France, so has little connection with his Moroccan roots. When his older brother loses his driving licence, Reda is drafted to drive their father (Majd) to Mecca for his pilgrimage--3,000 miles across Italy, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey and the Middle East. Reda is dreading this. He has nothing in common with his father, and he's consumed with the issues of being a teenager in Western Europe. Which is something Papa can't begin to understand.

We know that two characters stuck in a car for a week can't help but come together in some meaningful way. But Ferroukhi avoids cinematic parent-child cliches by allowing the story to develop naturally and subtly, and by never taking any side at all. This is neither a plea for modern understanding nor a yearning ode to traditional religious values, although both are here. It's an understated story about a father and son who reluctantly learn something about each other ... and themselves.

The anecdotal narrative is assembled from a series of telling events--border problems, weather issues, medical emergencies, personal challenges and surprising travelling companions such as a mystery woman (Ognianova), a too-friendly Turk (Nercessian) and a bleating sheep. These richly detailed adventures form an engaging trip from West to East, without ever dwelling on the obvious contrasts. It's filmed, acted, edited and scored in a strikingly organic way, leading up to the amazing final sequence among a sea of pilgrims in Mecca.

And it's also a remarkable film that dares to confront spiritual hot topics like the collision between Islam and the West, but to do it in a refreshingly balanced, understanding way. Without ever pushing, Ferroukhi is clearly trying to counter the knee-jerk reactions of the media in the face of today's tense world, and he should be highly commended for his constructive, hopeful approach.



Rich Cline

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