A Long Journey

Jul 8 2011 N/A 1h 35m
Documentary

"A Long Journey" tells the story of three siblings who reach adolescence in the late 1960's. The documentary's storyline follows the youngest brother's travels around the world. Worried that he would enter the struggle for freedom against the Brazilian dictatorship, his family sent Heitor to London. There however, he dives head on into the "Swinging London" and, just like the European and American youth of the time period, he experiments with drugs and the mystic allure of India. In the nine years he has traveled around the world, from 1969 to 1978, he has regularly written to his family. The documentary features interviews with Heitor today, his letters and off-screen comments of Heitor's sister, Lúcia Murat, the director of the movie.

Plot

The true story of the director Lucia Murat's younger brother , Heitor, who is sent to London by his well to do family to avoid the possibility of joining his director/writer sister Ms. Murat in prison for "crimes" against the then fascist Brazilian government in the late 60's. Studying in London, Heitor meets an American girlfriend and an array of fascinating ex pat pals who dabble in pot smoking , music and self indulgent jobless days enjoying and experiencing early 70's London in NottingHill Gate area of London before it became tony. Heitor, the apple of the family's eye and youngest child, is a prolific letter writer but quits school and soon moves from pot to hashish to acid. He leaves London and begins traveling to Afghanistan , India, (wherever the Best and Most drugs were) pen and paper in hand, and becomes more and more addicted to cultures where he can deal and consume drugs experiencing a lonely lifestyle of being high, walking and writing. His letters to his family are the subject of the movie. Heitor, an unusual yet brilliant man, multilingual and extraordinarily handsome with the heart of a poet, starts to lose his grasp of reality and ends up in jail and eventually, a mental institution. His long journey to madness is all evidenced by his letters ,written like an itinerary of downward, disturbing spiral, are saved by various family members, especially by Ms. Murat.

Written by

Lúcia Murat

Directed by

Lúcia Murat

Production Countries

Brazil

Production Companies

Taiga Filmes

Languages

Português

Awards

6 wins & 3 nominations

Scores
# of Votes
116
Average Rating
6.9 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA