Pedro Pinho’s I Only Rest in the Storm is a hypnotic and textured look at power, identity, and longing, set in a tense West African city. The film follows Sergio, an environmental engineer working on a controversial road between the desert and the forest, as it explores the tangled realities of neo-colonialism, expat privilege, and relationships in a landscape shadowed by instability and division.

From the beginning, Pinho places the narrative within a microcosm of global inequalities: an infrastructure project funded by the World Bank and executed by a Brazilian-Chinese consortium, intended to link two drastically different ecological environments. Yet beneath this economic ambition lies a scar, a rupture in land and spirit that resists control and taming.

In the centre of I Only Rest in the Storm is a tale of loneliness and survival. Sergio’s relationship with Diara and Gui, two locals whose personalities and histories remain partially veiled, gives the film its emotional heart. They are both caring and complicated, shaped by the silent weight of colonial history and the constant uncertainty of where, and whether, they truly belong. These three characters inhabit a world of stifling NGO offices, busy city streets, spaces filled with the invisible weight of post-colonial capitalism and expat culture.

Pinho’s direction is daring and radical, encouraging his characters to speak openly about the wounds caused by history and power while exploring the complex issues of identity and community. The film’s story emphasises different voices, creating a broad mix of perspectives that challenge simple opposites and show the ongoing struggles at neo-colonial borders.

I Only Rest in the Storm is not an easy film, nor is it meant to be, however, Pinho’s latest work proves once again why he is one of the most thoughtful filmmakers working today. Building on the bold questions about power and society he raised in A Fábrica de Nada, this movie offers a powerful and timely reflection on the world we live in.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

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