Flashes of the past and present are overlaid on top of one another throughout “Grand Tour.” A dance of motorcycles swirling around a roundabout is played simultaneously with footage of the Chinese New Year celebration a century early – different eras of the same place, yet playing in front of an audience at the same time. This is the magic of director Miguel Gomes’ romantic travelog epic. Shot by cinematographers Rui Poças, Gui Liang and Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (who audiences may know from his work with Luca Guadagnino), it’s a visual marvel with inspirations from experimental work like “Baraka” to the silent comedies of Harold Lloyd. The narrative, split directly in half, covers two lovers. The first half focuses on Edward, the British consulate to Burma, as he bunnyhops around Asia to avoid a marriage to his fiance of seven years. The second half follows said fiance and hopeless romantic, Molly, as she embarks on her quest to find him. This dyad is a key component of what makes “Grand Tour” work, as it displays a profound sense of compassion for everyone looking for something to make the chaos of life worth living through.
*This film was screened at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival
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