The Restless One

Streaming video - 2015

Part one of Miguel Gomes' monumental and dazzlingly original three-part update of the Middle Eastern folk tale, *One Thousand and One Nights*. In which Scheherazade tells of the restlessness that befell the country: It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that in a sad country among all countries, where people dream of mermaids and whales, and unemployment is spreading. In certain places, forests burn into the night despite the falling rain; men and women long to set out to sea in the middle of winter. Sometimes there are animals that talk although it is highly improbable that they are listened to. In this country, where things are not what they appear to be, men of power promenade on camels and hide permanent and shameful erections; th...ey await the moment when taxes are collected so they can pay a certain wizard whom... And seeing the morning break, Scheherazade fell silent. Official Selection at **Cannes FIlm Fesitval** and the **Toronto International Film Festival**. *"The films are enchanting for their irony, their humanity, and their reflexiveness."* - Bill Stamets, ***The Chicago Reader*** more