Cannes Diary May 2009
Friday 15 May :: Saturday 16 May :: Sunday 17 May :: Monday 18 May :: Tuesday 19 May :: Wednesday 20 May
The ICO team are at the 62nd edition of the Festival de Cannes. Here is their daily diary...
Friday 15 May
Becky's blog
My colleague Anna and I arrive in Nice about 9pm we are unexpectedly welcomed by black clouds and pouring rain. We've missed the last direct bus to Cannes so we get on the stopping bus which takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes and is full to the brim with French teenagers listening to German dance music. Not the most serene way to start the festival but the bus only costs 1euro, so at least I feel like I'm being particularly thrifty.
We frantically collect the keys to our apartment from Rachel Hayward from the Cornerhouse, as she rushes in to watch a screening of Bak-Jwi (Thirst). We go in search of our apartment in the dark and the wet, we manage to find the right apartment although spend about an hour trying to locate the right key and door etc. Must remember to pack a torch next time!
We decide to head out for a late dinner and are joined by Ben Metcalf from Soda Pictures who we meet along the way. We call it a reasonably early night and hit the hay in preparation for some serious film watching the next day.
Anna's blog
Arriving in Nice at 9.30pm we take the slowest most crowded bus we can find to Cannes. It is raining and I'm wondering why after coming here for three years I persist in leaving coat, waterproof shoes and anything remotely sensible behind. We're meeting Rachel, the film programmer at the Cornerhouse to collect keys to our flat but we're against the clock as she has a ticket to the red carpet screening of Park Chan-Wook's Bak-Jwi (Thirst). After much tramping around in the dark courtyard, trying every door, where our flat is supposed to be we get in, dry off and realise that time's getting on a bit and some food would be quite nice. We meet Ben, Soda Pictures' sales manager, who is amazingly but typically for him upbeat even though his accommodation had fallen through at the last minute and he'll be sleeping on our floor for a few nights. As a thank you, Ed, Soda's co MD gives me a ticket to A Prophet for tomorrow morning. Things are looking up.
Saturday 16 May
Becky's blog
I get up nice and early for the first screening of the day, it's a Serbian film called Ordinary People. I get into the screening with relatively little queuing which is always a bonus, the only thing is that the film is in Serbian with French subtitles. Luckily the film is quite sparse on dialogue so I manage to understand most of the plot. The film follows Dzoni a recent army recruit who seems to have some trouble fitting in. We watch him and his fellow soldiers go about their strict daily routines. One morning the soldiers are driven in a bus to an abandoned farm, where they are just left to wait. None of them know why they are there but most seem happy to laze around in the sun and smoke cigarettes. Eventually a bus arrives, carrying a group of frightened prisoners. The unit commander explains that these prisoners are the enemy and the seven soldiers are ordered to execute them. The film explores the boundaries of legitimacy of war and touches on how the soldiers' daily regimented existence lead to unquestioning compliance. The Vladimir Perisic's debut manages to balance an aesthetically beautiful film with the barbaric acts of the soldiers.
After exhausting my appalling French comprehension, I'm really pleased to get into the new Jane Campion film Bright Star. Campion's latest film explores the love affair between English poet, John Keats, and Fanny Brawne, his neighbor who is an eccentric and avid dress maker. The film is unashamedly romantic but in such an honest and unsentimental way that is utterly absorbing. Abbie Cornish is mesmerising as the feisty Fanny Brawne, and Ben Whishaw's considered and gentle portrayal of Keats really lift the film away from being a standard period drama.
After a quick trip with Anna to the supermarché, to stock up on camembert and brioche, we hot foot it to the other end of the Croisette to see the new Hong Sangsoo film, Jal Aljido Motamyunseo (Like You Know It All). Being a novice to the Korean director's work I am not sure what to expect but am pleasantly surprised with a very comedic turn. After speaking to some colleagues who are fans of Hong Sangsoo's work, I think this latest film fits into his quintessential style, a two-part tale of a film director who is haplessly unable to understand women or the romantic situations that he falls into.
We head back to the apartment with the intention of finding some dinner, but Ben from Soda Pictures has a spare ticket to the red carpet screening of Ang Lee's new film Taking Woodstock. So in an outfit change that would make Superman envious I'm back out on the Croisette heading for the Palais. Taking Woodstock is the story of Elliot Tiber who in a battle to save his parents run-down motel invites the producers of a rock festival to use their local town as the festival site. Initially a great plan to drum up business for the motel, the festival soon spirals out of Elliot's control and half a million people begin to head to Catskills for the festival of a century. Imelda Staunton gives her usual stella performance and the film is enjoyable and keeps me engaged throughout, although I feel it is slightly lacking for an Ang Lee film. The intimacy and depth that usually accompanies his films was missing, and there is only so much footage of hippies dancing around in a field that I can watch. Having said that the film is worth seeing for Liev Schreiber's excellent supporting role as the cross dressing head of security.
Anna's blog
A gloriously sunny morning and I'm off to flying start with Jacques Audiard's Un Prophète (A Prophet). This is hotly anticipated by me as I thought his previous The Beat My Heart Skipped was a wonderful film. Malik is a 19 year old leaving a youth detention centre to begin a six year sentence in a prison where inmates are divided by race and religion. Of North African origin but not a practicing Muslim, Malik has no likely allies and is quickly identified by ruling Corsican gang boss César (a fearsome Niels Arestrup) as a suitable new recruit. To save his own life, Malik must kill an Arab prisoner who is seen as a threat to César's set up. The subsequent years see a mature Malik gain confidence and rehabilitate himself. Learning Corsican and setting up his own drug-running operation he rises through the prison ranks. Newcomer Tahar Rahim makes a sensational impact as Malik. Appearing in nearly every scene he deftly handles the transition from nervy teenager to consummate criminal with stamina and grace. Stylistic turns such as continuing visions of the man he killed and the dream sequence that refers to the film's title accentuate the internal conflict felt by Malik. Whilst A Prophet will be described as a hard hitting prison drama and most likely be aimed at a male Gommorah style audience its retention of heart and conscience in Malik make it much more.
I meet Becky and feel guilty to learn that whilst I've been revelling in A Prophet she's been suffering a Serbian film without English subtitles. One frustration of Cannes, especially when you have industry accreditation and not a market pass, is that when you make it in to a film you are very reluctant to leave as anything else due to start will have too long a queue by then. We're lucky to get in to Jane Campion's Bright Star which I also have high hopes for. Quentin Tarantino causes a bit of stir when he arrives in the stalls and several delegates lose it a bit and rush to take his picture but the ever officious stewards quickly set them straight.
The opening twenty minutes of this study of John Keats' and Fanny Brawne's affair leave me breathless. Often said of period dramas the setting and costumes are sumptuous but in this case it is so so true. Depicting the last years of Keats' short life the rivalry for his affections between Fanny and fellow poet Charles Brown heighten the tragedy of this moving film as everyone around him seems determined to keep him apart from Fanny. Ben Whishaw expertly plays Keats with a mischievous and charming touch. Abbie Cornish is self-assured as Fanny, feisty, melodramatic and heart-breaking. The fragility of life combined with the stifling social conventions of the time are passionately felt and beautifully rendered.
Feeling like it was a bit ambitious to last on a pain au raisin and three espressos all day we head to the supermarket to buy a nutritiously balanced meal of brioche, goat's cheese and Sauvignon Blanc.
On David's recommendation we head to South Korean director Hong Sangsoo's Jal Aljido Motamyunseo (Like You Know It All). Ku is an arthouse director invited to take part in a film festival jury where he finds himself in a series of uncomfortable and confusing social situations. He bumps into an old friend who introduces him to his wife who happens to be an ex-girlfriend of Ku's. At the festival he meets a former assistant whose body of work is being featured in a retrospective making his jury invite seem rather lacklustre. The second part of the film mirrors the first, characters, settings and dialogue are repeated but with slight adjustments in each case. Throughout the film Sangsoo mocks his central character. His hapless hero is faced with his own pretensions as he continually misjudges other people's reactions to him, particularly those of the opposite sex. Sending up those who take themselves too seriously, this is a light-hearted look at the fraught negotiations between men and women. Whilst I enjoyed Like You Know it All I found the female characters rather two dimensionally beautiful. Their supposed superiority is demonstrated through the lack of intuition on the part of the male characters and not through any strong traits of their own. I also had the distinct impression half the jokes were culturally specific making me feel I missing out on a private joke.
In the evening we meet Simon at the Hong Kong party were we're particularly impressed by the buffet. Aside from waxing lyrical about the many tiny cakes in individual perspex boxes there isn't much more to add here...
Becky has bagged a ticket to Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock but I am only mildly envious as I'm on my way to the very exclusive Soho House party. It is as grand as I've heard and proves a good opportunity to catch up with distributors and exhibitors. The Prophet and Bright Star are getting good reactions all round and aside from pre-bought films such as these, no one seems to be buying.
Sunday 17 May
Becky's blog
After my experience with Ordinary People on Saturday morning I decide to go for a safe bet that I will hopefully be able to understand and that has been getting rave reviews from other festival goers, Un Prophète (A Prophet). Having really enjoyed The Beat My Heart Skipped I was really excited to see the latest offering from Jacques Audiard and it didn't disappoint. Sentenced to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena has spent most of his live in juvenile detention centres, with no friends or family and little hope for his future. On arriving in prison he instantly gets coerced into serving the Corsican gang who rule the prison. However, Malik is a fast learner and he daringly starts to form his own plans to get out from under the Corsican's grasp and start to build some kind of future for himself. Tahar Rahim's debut performance as Malik is excellent, and his character draws real similarities with Tom in The Beat My Heart Skipped - conflicted and desperately trying to keep his head above water. Audiard's thrilling follow-up keeps you gripped as you desperately try to work out where the plot will twist next.
I race out of the Un Prophète (A Prophet) screening in the hopes of being able to get into Tzar, but the queue is too long, so I dash across town to the Palais Stephanie to try and catch the 2.30pm screening of Polytechnique but after 40mins of queuing I was again turned away. I resigned myself to go and get a sandwich and get in the queue nice and early for Kinatay. On my last trip to Cannes I saw Serbis, Brillante Mendoza’s previous film about a family run X rated cinema, which I hadn't enjoyed but I was determined to keep an open mind. Unfortunately I found Kinatay as arduous to watch. Peping, a student in the police academy, is recruited by his friend, Abyong, to work as an errand boy for a local drug syndicate that collects protection fees from various businesses in Manila. One evening Abyong asks Peping to join him on a special assignment. Peping accompanies Abyong in a van with the boss of the gang, and two other thugs. The van stops outside a hostess club and they pick up a prostitute called Madonna, but the moment she gets into the car, she is beaten, gagged and forced onto the floor. The story unfolds in real time and after showing the kidnap, beating, humiliation, rape, murder and dismemberment of the prostitute and with little hope of any type of redemption I'm thankful to get a message from my colleague Tilly saying she is just about to arrive in Cannes.
After showing Tilly the way into our labyrinthine apartment, Anna, Tilly and I head out for dinner. Anna and Tilly then head off for the gala screening of Agora and I go in search for The Works International party where Anvil are playing a set. I meet up with my colleague Simon, and Sally Griffiths from Chapter on the way and we prepare to rock! It was a great party and Anvil were brilliant, I’m not a huge heavy metal fan but you couldn’t help nodding your head and getting involved as the band were so excited. As I rolled into bed about 4am I wasn’t looking forward to my alarm going off in 3 hours but I wanted to get an early start to see some more films.
Anna's blog
An unfeasibly early start and I'm in Warwick Thornton's debut Samson and Delilah. Set in a remote Aboriginal community in the desert, two teenagers overcome their bleak prospects to be together. Samson lives with his brother and is mostly preoccupied sniffing petrol fumes. Delilah spends her days caring for her dying grandmother. Ignored by their relatives aside from an occasional beating they develop a grudging love for each other they struggle to articulate. Unashamedly bleak, we aren't protected from the hardship and destitution faced in their daily lives. Defiantly pared down there is barely any dialogue instead concentrating on the unforgivable landscape to demonstrate their desperate situation. Perhaps it was the sleep deprivation but I didn't find myself moved by the couple or truly understand what drew them to each other. However this is a bravely made and startling portrait of teenage love. Following the success of Ten Canoes (Un Certain Regard 2006) I expect there to be interest in this for UK distribution and I'll certainly be recommending it to the Barbican for next year's London Australian Film Festival.
Next I see Pavel Lounguine's Tzar a historical epic set in 16th century Russia during Ivan the Terrible's reign. Depicting the conflict between church and state when the Tzar's power is threatened by advancing Polish armies and internal enemies and the head of the Russian church defies orders by refusing to ignore the mindless slaughter resulting from this. Torn between bloody battle scenes and Shakespearean angst-ridden monologues I felt the two halves of this film didn't quite fit together. Whilst the sheer scale of the production is impressive, the relentless torture and unclear narrative left me disinterested. I would be surprised if this is released in the UK.
Mia Hansen-Løve's, Le Père De Mes Enfants (Father of My Children) provides welcome respite as there isn't a bear fight or thumb screw in sight. Grégoire is a successful film producer married with three children. He is determined to produce distinctive, high quality work and his refusal to compromise his ambition means he takes greater and greater financial risks. As his business seems on the brink of bankruptcy Grégoire suddenly commits suicide leaving his family and colleagues distraught. His wife must choose whether to attempt to succeed where he failed and finish the remaining films in production or protect her family from further loss and relinquish everything he worked for. Louis-Do de Lencquesaing is utterly charming as the charismatic Grégoire. His passion for his work and his family is so infectious that from the point at which he commits suicide the film loses its emotional heart. Taking a strange turn, focusing on the teenage daughter's discovery of a secret half-brother, it is disappointing that Hansen-Løve isn't content to focus on a family reeling from the loss of a husband and father and the results of failed dreams and instead adds this new and illogical event.
This evening we've managed to beg two tickets for the red carpet screening of Alejandro Amenábar's Agora. However a particular Cannes style comedy of errors ensues. Tilly has just arrived in Cannes and is too late to collect her badge which you need in addition to the ticket to get in. Ben has a ticket for me but is at the other end of the croisette. He makes it just in time but isn't in black tie so can't get in either. It is Tilly's first Cannes so a moment of spontaneous generosity means she goes in with my badge. I'll have to keep that in check in the future. Although not suitably attired for the mosh pit, I head to the Anvil! party hosted by The Works.
Tilly's blog
“Non!” The first word spoken to me upon my arrival in Cannes, as I endeavour, suitcase in tow, to access the Palais to collect my festival pass. “C'est déjà fermé.” Zut alors! No pass until the morning. Thankfully my thoughtful colleagues have procured me a ticket for that night's gala screening, so the evening isn't wasted. A quick change later and I'm scrabbling up the red carpet, adjusting my dress as I go, to shouts of “Dépêchez-vous, madame!”, as the cast and crew arrive behind me. As a Cannes virgin, I wasn't to know that my distinctly unglamorous entrance was being projected on the big screen in the 2,300-seat auditorium. I console myself with the thought that at least I didn't trip over.
The film is Agora, a sword and sandals drama from Alejandro Amenábar, set in 4th century AD Alexandria. It stars Rachel Weisz as the philosopher Hypatia, who is theorising the position and movement of the planets during a time of religious clashes. It seems to drag on forever, the hammy acting alienating me from any investment in any of the characters and the heavy symbolism and interminable swelling strings distracting me from the story. I'm disappointed to see Homayoun Ershadi, who was wonderful in The Taste of Cherry, reduced to a supporting role as a slave. It's all a bit silly - the frequent stoning scenes unfortunately recalling The Life of Brian – but I'm ashamed to say I get peer-pressured into a standing ovation. Later I walk halfway round the Côte d’Azur trying to locate the Anvil! party and resolve to leave my heels in my suitcase for the rest of the trip.
Monday 18 May
Becky's blog
Bright and early I make it into the 8.30am screening of Adieu Gary (Farewell Gary). The film focuses on the father and son relationship between Francis and Samir. Samir has just been released from prison and is returning to his home town and his father's house to try and find work. Unfortunately the only factory in the town has closed and effectively destroyed the local economy. This is a nice film to start the day with, heart warming and mildly comedic, Jean-Pierre Bacri is endearing as Francis, although I doubt it will make it into the UK market.
Luckily the next film on my list to see is only one floor down so I manage to get into the screening fairly easily. It is a French film by Mia Hansen-Løve, Le Père De Mes Enfants (Father of My Children). Grégoire Canvel is an independent film producer, he has a beautiful family and spends his weekends at an idyllic farmhouse in the country. But Grégoire’s production company is in dire straits, it has run up huge debts and has failed to pay suppliers. Grégoire refuses to sell the company’s catalogue of films and tries to plough on with the productions regardless. Eventually he is overwhelmed by the problems and can no longer run from them. Although not an instantly eye-grabbing storyline, this film was so endearing, mainly down to the excellent performances by Louis-Do de Lencquesaing as the charismatic lead and the young actresses that play his daughters. A really touching family drama that moved most of the audience to tears.
Having only just worked out the reservation system for tickets I manage to get a ticket for a competition screening. The ticket is for Ken Loach's Looking for Eric, this feels a bit like a guilty pleasure as I know the film will be released soon in the UK, but I'm so thrilled to be able to get a ticket and not to have to queue that I can't resist. Eric is a postman whose reached middle age and despairs of his life. He lives with his two step sons who treat his home like a doss house and cannot bring himself to deal with the loss of his only true love, Lily, who he abandoned over 30 years ago. As Eric reaches the depths of despair and turns to cannabis for some sought after relief, a guardian angel appears to him in the form of Eric Cantona, who encourages Eric to deal with his past and to take control of his life. Although not as gritty and thought provoking as some of other Loach's films you can't help but enjoy it. Cantona is enigmatic as Eric's spiritual coach and there are some moments of superb comedy. The film got the most enthusiastic round of applause out of all the other screenings I had watched in the festival, so I sense it will be an audience pleaser.
I get out of the screening at 5pm so miss the 4.30pm round of screenings, so decide to grab some dinner and then go to a late night screening to get my fill of films before returning to the office the next day. I meet up with Emma Sullivan who has a short film in competition After Tomorrow and she manages to smuggle me into the filmmakers terrace for a quick glass of champagne. After a some dinner I head to the 10.30pm screening of Mal Dia Para Pescar (Bad Day To Go Fishing), with Anna and Tilly. Unfortunately I only make it past the short and the opening credits before my eyes start to get heavy and after 15mins of snoozing we decide to leave. Looking forward to getting into bed we get slightly waylaid by the Nordic Film Market party on the beach. After some enthusiastic dancing to KLF and some weary head bobbing to Guns n' Roses, I finally make it home to bed.
Anna's blog
My last day and I'm determined to fit in four films today. I'm off to a promising early start with Adieu Gary (Farewell Gary) a debut feature from Nassim Ammaouche. Jean-Pierre Bacri plays a father anxiously anticipating the return of his son Samir from prison. The small town's economy and its inhabitants are reliant on a factory that has recently closed. Determined to earn an honest wage, Samir takes work in supermarket ignoring offers of more lucrative drug dealing. Focusing on the rehabilitation of a father son relationship Adieu Gary is a thoroughly heartwarming affair and perfectly inoffensive for 8.30 in morning. Jean-Pierre Bacri is his usual effusive self and the supporting cast charming however I'd be surprised to see this film outside of the festival circuit.
11am and I'm in my second film, Iréne. Alain Cavalier's documentary charts his recollections of his late wife actress Iréne Truc. Shot entirely by hand-held camera with his own first-person narration, we see footage as diverse as diary entries, hotel room windows and reenactments of childbirth using a watermelon and an egg. Refreshing in the sense that this was very different in style and content from anything else I've seen in the last few days but difficult as the meandering free association style doesn't sustain the full 90 minutes.
I meet Hussain from Sheffield DocFest for lunch who has also just seen Iréne. He tells me about Alain Cavalier's earlier work including some shorts he'd shown at DocFest. This puts the film in a better context for me but I'm unconvinced Iréne will work theatrically outside of France. However we agree it would be a good addition to his festival programme.
Having had a very pleasant lunch, I am made to pay by not getting into not one but two films in the afternoon. A total of 2 and half hours queuing led to sunburn and witnessing a french woman scream at the steward when he brought the 'complet' sign out just in front of us. I'm rescued by Emma Sullivan whose short After Tomorrow is in competition. Due to this triumph she has access to the champagne terrace on the roof of the palais. She promptly signs me in and listens patiently to me moan about said queuing. She is very mature and doesn't make a big deal about the fact that she can be walked in to any film at any point.
I make a last ditch attempt to cram in one more film and see ten minutes of Mal Dia Para Pescar (Bad Day To Go Fishing) before dozing off. The premise of a touring wrestling show and the con man compere seemed promising ...
Tilly's blog
Two hours sleep in the bank and it's time to get up and collect my pass. The scale of the Palais des festivals comes as a bit of a shock, as does the size of the crowds. I randomly pick a film called Le Roi de l'évasion (The King of Escape), an amusing caper set in rural France. It features a gay, middle-aged tractor salesman who decides to try heterosexuality after attracting the interest of a teenage girl, played by the coquettish Hafsia Herzi from Cous Cous, and must go on the run from the law and her angry father. A few of the gags are lost on a non-native, but it's a hoot nonetheless.
I fail to get into Independencia, and don't fancy the torture porn alternatives. This is just the excuse I need to go to a four-hour Cannes Classic screening of the late Edward Yang's A Brighter Summer Day, recently restored by Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation. Yang's widow and young son are in attendance, which lends the event an air of poignancy. The pace of this wonderful epic, concerning youth gangs in 1960 Taiwan, announces itself during the opening credits as an ox and cart make a leisurely journey towards the camera, but it's nothing less than engrossing.
Later I meet up with colleagues Anna and Becky to watch a late screening of Mal Dia Para Pescar (Bad Day To Go Fishing). While the Kaurismaki-esque opening scene looks promising, the previous night's frolics catch up with us and one by one we nod off. Only a healthy dose of dad-dancing at the Nordic Films party can wake us up…
Tuesday 19 May
Becky's blog
It seems like a fairly leisurely morning, I don't have to be in a queue by 8am, so the 9am bus to the airport feels like a real treat. Although it's sad to leave the brilliant sunshine and the hundreds of films that will be screening over the next week.
Tilly's blog
Three hours later I'm off to watch La Pivellina (The Little One) on the recommendation of Frances from Soda Pictures. Filmed in naturalistic style, this is a warm, simple tale about a circus performer and her family who take in an abandoned two-year-old girl.
Next up is Looking for Eric, Ken Loach's Manchester-set fairytale about a postman trying to get his life into shape, with the help of his proverb-spouting imaginary friend, Eric Cantona. Despite a foot-stomping reception at its gala screening, I'm left under whelmed. There are a few nice scenes featuring the protagonist's postman pals, but overall it's an unimaginative effort and seems little more than an ego project for Cantona, who also produced.
I much prefer the next film, Pedro Almodóvar's noirish melodrama, Broken Embraces. Although a bit too long and structurally not as strong as Volver, nevertheless it's a luscious treat for anyone who likes their movies self-reflexive, with nods to Sirk, Hitchcock and others (even early Almodóvar himself) abounding.
I was particularly looking forward to L'Enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot, what looks like a stunning reconstruction of the (other) master of suspense's unfinished film, but I'm stuck at the end of the queue and don't manage to get in. That'll teach me to stop for lunch – what was I thinking?
I have more luck with Demain dès l'aube (Tomorrow at Dawn), another slow-burning tale of a pianist's revenge from the writer-director of The Page Turner. Its protagonist, facing an existential crisis, becomes involved in his brother's world of historical battle reenactments, and before long is caught up in a matter of honour. The odd laugh resulting from anachronisms provides welcome respite from a tense tale that leaves you agape.
On the way home I meet Sally from Chapter who excitedly informs me that I'm wearing the same dress as Charlotte Gainsbourg in Antichrist, the tough, grim and most talked about film screened that day, which explains the funny looks I've been getting. It's from H&M, by the way.
Wednesday 20 May
Tilly's blog
On my last morning in Cannes I stumble upon a treasure trove in the Palais serving a million different types of coffee, all free of charge. Why wasn't I informed earlier?! No wonder everyone else seems so bright eyed.
I go to see La Terre de la folie, the eccentric Luc Moullet's documentary examining the high incidence of psychotic behaviour in the Southern Alps. It's made in an entertainingly offbeat style, but I can't help feeling uneasy as the audience roars with laughter at accounts of mental illness, rape and murder.
I can't cope with anymore French comedies, so for my last film I opt for Eyes Wide Open, a drama about blossoming love and lust between two Orthodox Jewish men in a close-knit community in Jerusalem. I'm expecting a cliché-ridden melodrama but am pleasantly surprised by a bold, accomplished and genuinely affecting film, the movie that will probably stay with me the longest as I embark on my journey home.
