The Journey Is the Destination (Bronwen Hughes, 2016): USA

Reviewed by Nodoka Kobayashi. Viewed at Metropolitan 4 Theater at Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Journey Is the Destination is the story about one actual man explored especially in Somalia and died there. This is a intense movie that hooks viewers mind on it.

Dan is the main character and story goes with his life. He loves to have new experience and while traveling to Africa with his friends, he finds the refugees in Somalia and the reality of the people’s situation there. His friends all go back home because they felt something dangerous and serious. However, he gets into the country and often visit Somalia just to take pictures.

The acting of Dan by Ben Schnetzer is so talented that I felt he really is the person who is in love with going to the places like that because of the curious and he cannot stop doing that. I felt it is real, so that while I was watching this movie, I wa having a question whether this is a documentary that filmed all actual scene in Somalia.

The scrap book was also has the strong meaning and message in this film, he always holds it and he feels different after he visits a few time. Also, each time the sequence changes to the next one, there is the edited animation with motif of his scrap book and collage with videos and pictures of the journey. I felt excited about that he just goes his own way just as he believes it is right way for him to go. His straightforward and pure eyes are sometimes focused by camera. Story tells nothing about his thoughts when capturing his eyes, but we probably feel something strong inside him by seeing those eyes.

Dan was passionate and so mcuh brave person that he took risk to tell what is happening to refugees in Africa to the people all over the world. This movie tells his passion and the pure thoughts in his mind and everyone around him is proud of him a lot.