I Only Rest in the Storm is an expansive, quietly absorbing film that engages with the legacy of colonialism, exploitation and contemporary Africa without turning its characters into mouthpieces or its ideas into slogans. Set in Guinea-Bissau, it follows a Portuguese engineer, Sérgio (Sérgio Coragem) on a professional mission that gradually becomes something far less defined, as work, desire, guilt and disorientation blur into one another. At three and a half hours, it might sound forbidding on paper, yet the film’s patience and clarity of purpose make the running time feel not only justified but surprisingly fluid.
The premise is straightforward. Sérgio travels to the region to work on an infrastructure project, part of the ongoing web of international development, contracts and post-colonial entanglements that continue to shape the region and his new life sees him moving between relationships and unexpected encounters.
From this relatively simple setup, the film unfolds slowly, allowing situations to evolve rather than pushing them toward resolution.
What immediately distinguishes I Only Rest in the Storm is its refusal of confrontation as a default mode. The film is clearly political, deeply so, but it never feels like a dour lecture considering its charged topic. There are no speeches designed to educate, no scenes whose only aim would be to deliver the right opinions. Power dynamics emerge through everyday interactions and relationships. Sérgio's position is neither vilified nor excused. He is competent, well-intentioned, sometimes careless, sometimes genuinely curious. The film trusts the viewer to recognise the imbalance without underlining it.
Guinea-Bissau is presented neither as an abstract symbol nor as an exotic backdrop. The camera pays close attention to rhythms of daily life, to spaces of work and leisure. Conversations drift, routines repeat, time stretches. There is a strong sense that life continues independently of the foreign presence, even as it is affected by it. The film resists the temptation to frame Africa as either victim or as a metaphor. This grounded approach allows the political dimension to emerge organically, rooted in lived reality that is so refreshing.
The central character is compelling precisely because he is so unresolved and at times enigmatic. He is not on a journey toward enlightenment, nor is he ever a white saviour. Desire here is not liberating or destructive; it is simply another force acting on a man already pulled in multiple directions.
One of the film’s great strengths lies in how it portrays its characters as human beings rather than representatives. Local characters are not reduced to commentary on colonialism, just as the protagonist is not asked to stand in for Europe as a whole. Everyone is shown with contradictions, blind spots and moments of confusion. Some are pragmatic, others idealistic, others tired. The film allows these differences to coexist without resolving them into a single perspective.
Formally, the film is measured and unhurried. Scenes are allowed to run longer than expected and unfold with a pace that feels true to life and far from feeling indulgent, this feels immersive instead. By spending time with these characters in these spaces, the viewer begins to sense their real lived-in experiences.
The length of the film is frequently discussed in festival contexts, but here it feels integral rather than excessive. The three and a half hours allow the film to breathe, to let relationships develop naturally. There are also some moments of warmth, humour and tenderness, often arising unexpectedly.
The films's approach may frustrate viewers looking for clearer positions, but it rewards those willing to engage with ambiguity.
By the end, there are no neat answers, colonial history is not resolved, exploitation is not undone, and modern Africa is not simplified. What the film offers instead is something rarer: a space to think, to observe, and to sit with discomfort without being told what to conclude.
I Only Rest in the Storm is compelling, patient and quietly incisive.
Review by Laurent de Alberti
Official Selection, Un Certain Regard
Star rating: ★★★★☆
I Only Rest in the Storm. Directed by Pedro Pinho. Starring Sérgio Coragem, Cleo Diára...
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