Le Grand Tour
A film by Jean-Pierre Sicard
2024 – 90mn – Documentary – France
At the age of 17, Elio and Justin embark on a year-long bike tour of Europe, defying the pandemic-induced border closures. Their friendship, love stories, encounters with young Europeans, families, and friends always present through their smartphones, along with the journey’s twists and turns, paint an intimate portrait of two teenagers transitioning into young adults.
SYNOPSIS
July 2020
Elio and Justin set out for the North Cape.
Alternating between intimate moments in their tent, images captured on the road with their bicycles, remote exchanges with friends, families, and lovers, and voicemail messages where they confide in someone occasionally joining them to film, we uncover their enthusiasm and shared joy. A broken arm, a frostbitten finger turning necrotic, test their resilience. The warm welcome from the young Europeans they encounter provides solace.
Elio finds comfort in the rap lyrics he writes during his painful winter blues in Eastern Europe. They experience other love stories in the Balkans, negotiate to cross borders guarded against COVID, manage to engage with some ecological projects as planned, and even meet French philosopher Bruno Latour via video call. Towards the end of the journey, Clément, one of their best friends, surprises them by joining them on a bike.
Physically, they transform, and emotionally, they mature.