Le grand voyage (2004)

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 | Hotel Room | Mosque

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

Movie Connections:

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

The best generation gap spanning film I've ever seen

Father and son communicate very little. IN fact they speak different languages. BUt when the son drives his father 3000 miles for his pilgrimage's to Mecca, the conversations finally take place. they are difficult and growth is necessary on both parts.

This movie takes us into the hearts of these two travelers, and it is indeed a grand voyage for the audience as well as the two principals. The imagery throughout is impressive, especially the final scenes in Mecca. It underlines for me once again how much different the world can be, but also at the same time, how similar. The same was true for the father and son in this film.

See this movie. Tell your friends to see it. You'll be glad you did.