Donkeyote

The grandest adventure is afoot for Spanish septuagenarian Manolo, his mischievous shepherd, Zafrana, and his stalwart donkey, Gorrión, if only they can survive chronic arthritis, impertinent travel agents, shipping concerns, and just one more bridge. Director Chico Pereira deftly delivers a lyrical meditation on the quest for individual liberty among infinite borders. Equal parts larger-than-life dauntless explorer and average aging joe, Pereira’s Uncle Manolo fancies roaming freely as he has before, this time heading to America to walk the Trail of Tears, and wouldn’t dream of doing so without his donkey and shepherd at his side. But how to accomplish this in a world full of lines, barbed-wire fences, rivers, and oceans barring their path? Well, to start, with humor, grit, a trusty fold-up cot, and a song in his heart—and, most assuredly, with steadfastly resolute Gorrión and gregarious instigator Zafrana alongside him. Together, these two equal a sage-like Sancho Panza to Manolo’s charmingly ineffable Quixote. Mind the windmills and let the journey begin! (Full Frame)