The Sailing Vessel of Life

In his work as a filmmaker Portuguese director Miguel Gomes strives to discover the film, and by this approach he exposes its quintessence in the six-and-a-half hour feature “Arabian Nights.” The film, which satirically chronicles contemporary Portugal languishing in hazy economic austerity, is composed in three volumes: The Restless One, The Desolate One and The Enchanted One, each having its own themes and atmosphere. Following the original style of the book “One Thousand and One Nights”, each tale is narrated by Scheherazade but based on actual events that occurred in the country. Some stories are allegorical while others merge together elements of fiction and documentary like his second feature film “Our Beloved Month of August.” The film allows us to intimately feel Mr. Gomes’ belief in cinema, to blur the border between reality and imagination. Read more...