I Only Rest In The Storm (2025)

Pedro Pinho | Portugal, France, Brazil, Romania | 2025 | 217 min | Rating To Be Advised An insecure Portuguese environmental engineer with a saviour complex seeks to assimilate with locals in Guinea-Bissau. In search of fulfilment and purpose, Sergio moves to West Africa for a job at an environmental non-profit. Instead, he just can’t seem to get things right at work or at social gatherings. Seeking to differentiate himself from obnoxious, bigoted colleagues, Sergio attempts to ingratiate himself with two alluring locals, Diára and Gui, who are initially wary of him. Their entanglement soon forces Sergio to confront the farce of his moral conundrums and his desire for chaos and freedom. I Only Rest in the Storm portrays the torment that accompanies self-inflicted otherness. Featuring an expansive cast of non-actors, it offers a panoramic view of the complex dynamics of tradition and progress in postcolonial West Africa.