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Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I Only Rest in the Storm' Review: A Sprawling Narrative That Demands Patience and Attention
Nearly two hours into an ambitious critique of colonialism that runs almost twice as long, a pivotal scene brings 'I Only Rest in the Storm' into sharp focus. The protagonist, a Portuguese engineer on assignment in Guinea Bissau, encounters a sex worker. He fails to get excited and in an attempt to smooth things over tries to initiate conversation with her about her life. She's rightfully indignant as he's wasting her time and tells him that what disgusts her most are good men, those who act as if they care when in fact they just want to feel good about themselves. This scene encapsulates many of the topics on the mind of Portuguese director Pedro Pinho — namely, the effects of colonization on contemporary Africa and how attempts at modernization might be a hindrance rather than a way forward. The film follows Sergio (Sérgio Coragem), who's sent to Guinea Bissau in West Africa to investigate whether a road project between the desert and the forest is viable. There he meets many different people, both for and against the project. Some see it as a way to modernize and generate jobs in this developing country, while others see it as an end to their way of life as an agrarian economy. More from Variety 'Girl on Edge' Review: A Mother and Daughter Hit Thin Ice in Zhou Jinghao's Alluring but Unsatisfactory Skating Drama 'Mama' Review: A Housemaid Abroad Gets an Unpleasant Homecoming in an Intriguing Character Study That Veers Into Melodrama Chris Evans Skipped His Movie's Cannes Premiere Because It Was His Mom's 70th Birthday and 'Some Things You Just Can't Miss' Segio tries to make connections with the locals he meets. However, most are suspicious of him and his motives. There are those who consider him as a nuisance to be rid of and others who see him as an attractive shiny object to try and influence. Perhaps they can profit from him or further their own goals. In fact, the aforementioned sex worker was probably most accurate: However noble his intentions, Sergio seems passive and does not know where his priorities should be — a stand-in for the incompetent do-gooders from former colonizing nations who run NGOs trying to better lives in nations they don't understand. There are several stories in 'I Only Rest in the Storm,' ranging from funny to overly dramatic, straightforward to full of metaphors, as the film follows Sergio through Guinea Bissau. Each of them plays like a standalone vignette that could make a short film, and as with a short film program made up of multiple stories, some are stronger than others. Though the feature's demanding length manages to show how colonization kept evolving throughout history, it also tests the audience's patience. At times, Pinho includes dry scenes where tangential characters address the camera with historical facts. To his credit, the director never comes up with easy answers, but rather makes the audience confront their prejudices. 'I Only Rest in the Storm' has vast ambitions but sometimes gets overwhelmed by all the thematic topics it wants to cover. Apart from Sergio, only two other characters recur throughout, both of whom hold a romantic interest for him. The audience is first introduced to Diara, a charismatic bar owner (played by Cleo Diára, who won an acting award for her performance at Cannes). In a long scene that could be taken from a 1970s thriller, Sergio meets Diara as she's trying to escape a man following her through a busy market. She uses Sergio as a decoy, and he's immediately smitten with this stranger in the blond wig. The other character is Guilherme, or Gui (Jonathan Guilherme), a femme nonbinary Brazilian expat who traveled to Africa to develop a deeper connection with their ancestry. They become the person who challenges Sergio's motives in coming to Guinea Bissau as a European from a former colonizing country. Coragem has a pleasant screen presence, yet the character is consistently the least interesting person in whatever situation he's put in. Intentionally, he serves as the audience surrogate, but he is so passive that questions arise about why we should care about his plight at all. No wonder Diára and Guilherme fare better, as their characters are more engaging. They take action, repeatedly confronting Sergio. Even though he seems enamored with both of them, he takes no action to further a relationship with either, waiting for them to take the initiative. Segio's ineptitude stands in for all do-gooders who never take a firm stand and would rather talk than make change — a tough assignment for the actor, but one which fits in thematically with the rest of the film. 'I Only Rest in the Storm' is the kind of film that thrives in a rarefied cinematic environment like Cannes, offering so many talking points that audiences exit the film wanting to argue about it with each other. It provokes, entertains and annoys in equal measure and thus will inspire admirers and detractors alike. One hopes it travels beyond film festivals and into local cinemas around the world, especially in the Global South, where 'I Only Rest in the Storm' would most likely bring about the most passionate conversations, from people reminiscent of its characters. Best of Variety The Best Albums of the Decade
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I Only Rest In The Storm' Trailer: Portuguese Un Certain Regard Title Delves Into Neo-Colonialism & International NGOs
EXCLUSIVE: Portuguese director Pedro Pinho's West Africa-set drama I Only Rest In The Storm is playing in Cannes Un Certain Regard this year and Deadline can reveal the international trailer. Delving into uncomfortable truths about the relationship between neo-colonialism and international NGOs, the drama stars Sérgio Coragem as an environmental engineer who travels to West Africa to work on a road project between the desert and the forest. More from Deadline Neon Buys Jafar Panahi's Cannes Competition Film 'It Was Just An Accident' Josh O'Connor Is An Art Thief In First Footage Of Kelly Reichardt's Cannes Competition Film 'The Mastermind' 'Amrum' Review: Faith Akin's German Coming Of Age Tale During WW2's Final Days Is 'Stand By Me' In The Shadow Of A Fading Nazi Regime - Cannes Film Festival There, he becomes entangled in an intimate yet unbalanced relationship with two inhabitants of the city, Diara and Gui. As neo-colonial dynamics among the expatriate community unravel, this fragile bond becomes his only refuge from an impending collapse into solitude or barbarism. Coragem is joined in the cast by Cape Verdean Portuguese actress Cleo Diára (Diamantino, Mulheres, às Armas) and artist and actor Jonathan Guilherme. Pinho was previously in Cannes with debut feature film The Nothing Factory, which premiered in Cannes Directors' Fortnight in 2017, receiving the Fipresci Prize. 'This road, financed by the World Bank and constructed by a Brazilian Chinese consortium, is meant to bridge two opposing landscapes: the arid solitude of the desert and the dense, animistic abundance of the jungle. But beyond economic ambition, it ultimately remains a rupture scar in a territory that resists being tamed,' says Pinho. 'At its heart lies the never-ending 'encounter' between Europe and Africa, contrasted with an elusive battle for a queer becoming, played out in the nightclubs, streets, and backrooms of a West African city. Within this often violent fight for identity transcendence, one might glimpse escape routes, the possibility of radical subversion, or the surviving traces of tenderness,' he added of the film. The film is produced by Uma Pedra no Sapato (Grand Tour, Légua) and Terratreme Films (Nothing Factory, in co-production with Still Moving in France (Baby, Tiger Stripes), Bubbles Project in Brazil (Loveling, Puan) and deFilm in Romania (To the North). Paradise City is handling international sales. { pmcCnx({ settings: { plugins: { pmcAtlasMG: { iabPlcmt: 1, }, pmcCnx: { singleAutoPlay: 'auto' } } }, playerId: "32fe25c4-79aa-406a-af44-69b41e969e71", mediaId: "76311b46-573b-4d52-a499-29a173c5be31", }).render("connatix_player_76311b46-573b-4d52-a499-29a173c5be31_20"); }); Best of Deadline Every 'The Voice' Winner Since Season 1, Including 9 Team Blake Champions Everything We Know About 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' So Far 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
News.com.au
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Star breaks rules with very raunchy red carpet outfit in Cannes
IN CANNES One of the leading stars of I Only Rest in the Storm, which premiered in Cannes this weekend, turned plenty of heads as he hit the red carpet. Jonathan Guilherme shrugged off the announcement of a recent ban on nudity within the film festival events as he joined his co-stars to pose for photographers ahead of the screening. He donned a stunning floor-length bronze gown. At one point, he spun around so the crowd and press below got the full scope of the look, in all its glory: a cut which exposed almost his entire bottom. I Only Rest in the Storm was screened as part of the prestigious Un Certain Regard category, which is outside the official competition and features a diverse range of films, often highlighting emerging talents. Directed by Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Pinho, it tells the story of an environmental engineer who travels to West Africa to work on a road project for an NGO. Meanwhile, Guilherme's daring display comes just days after it was announced ahead of the festival's opening night that the dress code had been updated to rule out the trend of dresses featuring 'nudity' and also 'voluminous' ensembles. 'For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other area of the festival,' the updated policy read. 'Voluminous outfits, in particular those with a large train, that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theatre are not permitted. 'The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules.' It's not the only strict red carpet ban – everyone attending gala premieres is also restricted from taking selfies on the way in. The festival's artistic director, Thierry Frémaux, made the declaration in 2018 due to the fact they 'tarnished' the atmosphere, not to mention created human traffic james. However, Tom Cruise and the cast of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning cheekily broke the rule at their own premiere this week. In a nod to their awareness of the bold red carpet misdemeanour, the image was uploaded to Instagram with the caption: 'Mission: Selfie. Accomplished.'
