Arabian Nights
1: The Restless One - 2: The Desolate One - 3: The Enchanted One
( As Mil e Uma Noites - 1 : O Inquieto - 2 : O Desolado - 3 : O encantado )

Miguel Gomes
2015 - 381 min - 16 mm & 35 mm - Couleur - Allemagne, France, Portugal, Suisse

FICTION DOCUMENTARY
Volume 1: The Restless One (125 min.)
In which Scheherazade tells of the restlessness that befell the country: "It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that in a sad country among all countries, where people dream of mermaids and whales, unemployment is spreading. Forests burn into the night despite the falling rain; men and women long to set out to sea in the middle of winter. In this country, where things are not what they appear to be, men of power promenade on camels and hide permanent and shameful erections; they await the moment when taxes are collected so they can pay a certain wizard whom…"
Volume 2: The Desolate One (131 min.)
In which Scheherazade tells of how desolation invaded men: "It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that a distressed judge will cry instead of giving out her sentence on a night when all three moons are aligned. A runaway murderer will wander through the land for over forty days and will teletransport himself to escape the Police. The residents of a tower block in the suburbs will save parrots and piss inside lifts while surrounded by dead people and ghosts; including in fact a dog that..."
Volume 3: The Enchanted One (125 min.)
In which Scheherazade doubts that she will still be able to tell stories to please the King, given that what she has to tell weighs three thousand tons. She therefore escapes from the palace and travels the kingdom in search of pleasure and enchantment. Her father, the Grand-Vizier, arranges to meet her at the Ferris wheel and Scheherazade resumes her narration: "O auspicious King, in old shanty towns of Lisbon there was a community of bewitched men who, with all dedication and passion, devoted themselves to teaching birds to sing..."