Gael crosses deserts and jungles as well as valleys and mountain tops, but his heart lies with the marginal people whose cultures survive because they live in such inhospitable and inaccessible locations. What sets
apart from the average travelogue is its complex European sensibility and Metroz’s travel philosophy which means moving in with herders or gypsies for months at a time (I did not expect to be at yet another movie about sheep and goat herders). He finds happiness with the animists of the Hindu Kush mountains and the untouchables of the Pakistan desert and he traverses terrifying, staggering panoramas.

Metroz appears to be alone on his year-long voyage but when he is lost in a mountain pass with no food, or robbed while wandering a desert with his camel it is not clear whether he is actually in dire circumstances or if another person is hiding behind the camera. I chose to accept the narrative that the film presents, even if it is more dramatic than actual events. Watch