Director: Alain Gomis
Countries of filming: Senegal, France, Guinea-Bissau
Release year: 2026
Run time: 106 min
Languages: French, Wolof, Manjak, and Portuguese Creole with subtitles
This sprawling epic of a film is an inquiry into diaspora. Gloria (Katy Correa) and her biracial daughter Nour (D’Johé Kouadio) are an African immigrant duo living in France. Two family ceremonies anchor the film: the festive wedding of Nour, held in the suburbs of Paris, and the traditional funerary rites for Gloria’s father, held in Guinea-Bissau. Two heritages and two ceremonies: the film moves back and forth between them, as we encounter Gloria and Nour with their large extended family on two continents, unfolding their joys, heartaches, and blessings.
It’s an unconventional film. Apart from the two ceremonies, the plot is minimal. The film meanders, free form, The title Dao, we learn, refers to “a perpetual and circular movement which flows in everything and unites the world.” Rather than keeping track of the plot, you ride that flow, as well as its many eddies. It goes on for 3 hours and five minutes. You won’t mind.
The Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis builds bridges between continents, between ancestors and descendants, between past and present, between spirit and nature, between life and death. The film speeds and slows reflecting the rhythms of life. Small details feed into the larger whole. A sidelong glance conveys volumes. Golden light filters through frangipani trees. Colonial history looms. Families share memories and also argue. Boys dive into water. Children play games. The sun sets.
We hear chants and percussion and collective singing, along with music by Abdullah Ibrahim and others. The acting performances are raw, using many non-actors, from whom much of the dialogue emerged.
Variety praised the film as an "ecstatic family epic.” Watch a trailer here.
The film will be screened at the Vermont International Film Festival on Thursday, October 22, at 12:15pm. For more information, visit https://vtiff.org.
