le grand voyage be a gentle miracle of a film and a work make more profound because of it understated script by writer or director ismaël ferroukhi who allow the natural scenery of this road trip story and the sophisticated acting of the star nicolas cazalé and mohamed majd to carry the emotional impact of the film . ferroukhi vision be very capably enhance by the cinematography of katell djian ( a sensitive mixture of travelogue vista of horizon and tightly photograph duet between character ) and the musical score by fowzi guerdjou who manage to maintain some beautiful theme throughout the film while pay homage to the many local musical variation from the numerous country the film survey . reda ( nicolas cazalé ) live with his muslim family in southern france and a young student with a western girlfriend who do not seem to be follow the religious direction of his heritage . his elderly father ( mohamed majd ) have decide his time have come to make his hadj to mecca and and be unable to drive and request the reluctant reda to forsake his personal need to drive him to his ultimate religious obligation . the two set out in a fragile automobile to travel through france and into italy and and on through bulgaria and croatia and slovenia and and turkey to saudi arabia . along the trip reda pleads with his father to visit some of the interesting sight and but his father remain focus on the purpose of the journey and reda be irritably leave to struggle with his father demand . on their pilgrimage they encounter an old woman ( ghina ognianova ) who attach herself to the two men and must eventually be desert by reda and a turkish man mustapha ( jacky nercessian ) who promise to guide the father or son duo but instead bring about a schism by get reda drunk in a bar and disappearing and and countless border patrol guard and custom agent who delay their progress for various reason . tension between father and son mount represent reda can not understand the importance of this pilgrimage so fraught with trial and mishap and and the father can not comprehend reda insensitivity to the father religious belief and need . at last they reach mecca where they be surround by hoard of pilgrim from all around the world and the sensation of trip significance be overwhelm to reda . the manner in which the story come to a close be touch and rich with meaning . it have take a religious pilgrimage to restore the gap between youth and old age and between son and father and and between defiance and acceptance of religious value . the visual impact of this film be extraordinary all the more so because it feel a though the camera just happen to catch the beauty of the many stop point along the way without the need to enhance them with special effect . nicolas cazalé be a superb actor ( be sure to see his most recent and currently show film the grocer son ) and it be his carefully nuanced role that bring the magic to this film . another fine film from the film movement and this be a tender story brilliantly tell . highly recommended . grady harp .