1001 Nights: Volume 3 - The Rapture

In Portugal, a European state in crisis, a director intends to write fictional stories inspired by the troubles of his country. Unable to find meaning in his work, he cowardly escapes and leaves his place to the charming Scheherazade. She needs a lot of courage and wit not to bore the king with the oppressive stories of this country! As the nights pass, desperation replaces fear and rapture replaces despair. She divides her stories into three chapters and begins as follows: "It is said, O happy king, that in a sad country, of all countries..." This is the third part of Miguel Gomes' film trilogy, in which he uses the structure of the fairy tale collection of "1001 Nights" for a contemporary, poetic parable on the current situation in Portugal. In this third part, Scheherazade leaves the castle to see her kingdom. In the process, she meets a number of eccentric and bizarre people. For example a paddler with 200 children and a robber who is also a soulful dancer. She meets a group of tourists from the present day who are upset about the pollution of the sea when Scheherazade throws the lamp of a genie in a bottle into the water; and there is a group of working-class men who hobby-hunt for birds and compete against each other in a highly complex singing contest.