QUICK HIT: Grand Tour [2024]

Rating: NR | Runtime: 128 minutes
Release Date: September 19th, 2024 (Portugal) / March 28th, 2025 (USA)
Studio: NOS Audiovisuais / MUBI
Director(s): Miguel Gomes
Writer(s): Mariana Ricardo, Telmo Churro, Maureen Fazendeiro & Miguel Gomes

I’ll go wherever you take me.

It’s an hour into Edward’s (Gonçalo Waddington) journey that we finally learn the plot to Miguel Gomes’ latest Grand Tour. Not that it’s a necessary thing to know. His tale of leaving Rangoon the moment his fiancé (Crista Alfaiate’s Molly) arrived from London is less a purposeful discovery to understanding the film than a reason for its existence. Gomes could have just taken us on this tour of Asia without these characters as guides—especially since half the film shows each country and culture’s present-day while narrators tell us what Edward and Molly are doing back in 1918. I can’t say if that would have been better.

I can, however, say Grand Tour was not for me. It’s obviously well-made with some insightful commentary on humanity, colonialism, and post-colonialism, but I found it near impossible to stay alert enough to try parsing any of it. This was true about the superficial romance used as its scaffolding too considering its admittedly humorous premise (a man sailing across Asia to avoid getting married keeps being thrown out because it’s easier for them to believe he’s a western spy than a massive coward) carries little payoff beyond that gag.

Only when he realizes he hasn’t heard from her (Molly is hot on his trail, warning him with telegrams that ultimately ensure she’ll never catch-up) do we rewind to follow her path. That’s when the contrast between man and woman arises with Edward wanting to stay in these beautiful countries only to be pushed out due to mistrust while everyone wants Molly to stay only for her to ruthlessly exploit them for her pursuit. She goes from endearing jokester who laughs by blowing raspberries to opportunistic murderess very quickly.

I probably should feel something by the end either via this tragic love story or the over-arching cultural epic of a continent that survived its European infestation, but it was tough to latch onto the fiction or the documentary. That said, this will definitely hit those who do catch Gomes’ wave and ride its sluggish pacing and thematic cross-cut allusions with relish. I’m glad to have watched it, but I was also relieved upon its end.