No Rest for the Brave

Having distinct ties to surrealism (the director prefers to call his film neo-surrealis) NO REST FOR THE BRAVE introduces us to Basile, an adolescent hero who is endowed with a certain maturity. Basile leaves his innocence behind the night he has a vision of Faftao-Laoupao who, as Basile understands it, is the angel of death. Basile realizes that if he sees Faftao-Laoupao again, he certainly will perish. He departs from his home only to realize that he may have committed a mass-murder in a neighboring village, but in this exercise in dream versus reality, nothing can be for certain. Keeping with the surrealist feel of the film, the actor who plays Basile also plays Hector, a guy shuttling between a lively town and “Deadsville.” Then there's Johnny Got, an adventurer ostensible on Basile's trail (or vice-versa) and embroiled in a deal with gangsters over ten kilos of Little Red Balls. With seemingly random scenes, sub-plots and other strange characters thrown in, the vibrant and colorful NO REST FOR THE BRAVE will keep viewers equally confounded and entertained. (In French with English subtitles)