Pedro Pinho’s I ONLY REST IN THE STORM is a 3.5 hour long journey with Portuguese environmental engineer Sérgio through Guinea-Bissau and surrounding regions and I was happy to tag along.
It takes its original name O Riso e a Faca (Laughter and the Knife) from the Tom Zé song the characters sing along to during a van ride. (“I Only Rest in the Storm” is a line from the song.) Pinho provides a critique of colonialism and the NGOs in West Africa, but it’s the intimate, personal moments between the characters that make this a compelling watch. The realistic performances of Sérgio Coragem as Sérgio, Cleo Diára as Diára, and the rest of the cast also play a big part in it.
You know that a lengthy film like this comes from a filmmaker who is not willing to compromise his vision. However one can argue that if he had trimmed certain parts, more viewers would be willing to go on this journey. I hope it finds an audience outside of the busy schedule of festivals.
