La Vallée des Fous (Sailing Home): dir Xavier Beauvois (2024)

Jean-Paul is not a bad guy by any means, but he is going through a rough patch – pp to his ears in debts, he pulls away from his family and takes refuge in the bottle. But, inside, he dreams of adventure; and he projects these fantasies onto the Vendée Globe, the famous single-handed, round-the-world yacht race, an event which he sort-of took part in … by sitting in front of his computer and joining Virtual Regatta (alongside a million other internet users). This time round, he decides to take the virtual challenge seriously – it does after all have a €150,000 prize for the winner – and he elects to confine himself to the boat parked in the garden of his restaurant for three whole months. Jean-Paul equips himself with all the gear – wind turbine, a solar panel, food rations, medical supplies – under the dubious but loving eyes of his father and daughter. And then the day of the departure arrives …

In French with English subtitles. The film screens as part of the NAAS Film Festival, a collaboration between several international cultural institutions in the UAE that screens independent films which highlight socially relevant themes.