Viagem ao Princípio do Mundo

The title echoes Jules Verne and suggests science fiction, and this is exactly what we get as two filmmakers with very different backgrounds explore their Portuguese past with friends. There are no special effects or gimmicks, just actors and a car, but throughout we sense an entry into another dimension - by simply placing his camera in the back of a car, de Oliveira conflates past, present, future as our heroes go time travelling, journeying into a landscape alien and forgotten, another dimension guarded by a totem carrier, and encompassing history, mythology, literature and folklore.

JOURNEY has many themes - the past, cinema, politics, modernity and tradition - but it is really about the difference between banal objectivity and magical subjectivity. For fans of Chris Marker and VERTIGO especially, take this adventure with only de Oliveira's irony to guide you.