Buy No Rest for the Brave on DVD

No Rest for the Brave

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Synopsis

Take a coming-of-age story, douse it in French existentialism, mix in plenty of wit, spice it liberally with vivid imagery, and the refreshingly original No Rest for the Brave is what you'd get. A scintillating metaphysical tale, the film follows the picaresque adventures of Basile, an angst-ridden French teenager who is convinced that he will die if he falls asleep. This leads him on a road trip that becomes a hallucinatory odyssey as Basile encounters murder, sex and intrigue — assuming that some or all of it isn't a dream. Whether Basile's excursion is reality or fantasy, innocent or malevolent, grand ideas mesh with bizarre occurrences to create a fascinating, surreal journey of discovery, chance and mystery. (French with English subtitles)

Review

Intellectual French cinema is alive and well in this refreshingly original and surreal metaphysical tale about a typical French teenager with a not-so-typical dilemma: he sincerely believes that the next time he falls asleep, he will die. Basile (Thomas Suire) is a talkative, excitable dreamer who has decided that he can only triumph over mortality by never sleeping again. As his body and mind become exhuasted, reality blends with fantasy, triggering a hallucinatory existential odyssey -- a trip which includes encounters with odd townsfolk, small-time gangsters, a fugitive named Johnny Got and an unusual and very close relationship with a much older man. If you think Basile's interactions with these eccentric characters may provide a linear plot -- this is definitely not the case! However, the film is pure viewing pleasure, as grand ideas are discussed amidst some hilariously bizarre occurrences: think Waking Life meets My Dinner with Andre. Self-taught director Alain Guiraudie's debut feature film explodes from his fertile imagination, making No Rest for the Brave a surefire candidate for cult status.

-- Raymond Murray