Abstract

Beyond the Road is the first feature film directed by Brazilian director Charly Braun in which he explores the importance of the journey by telling the story of two foreign travellers, Santiago and Juliette, who are looking for their past while discovering the present. Set in Uruguay, Beyond the Road is, in a certain way, a film that focuses its attention in the landscape that allows both travellers to undergo a physical as well as a spiritual journey. As they gradually travel through the country both characters learn more about the Uruguayan nation as well as about themselves. Using the long-established road movie format, this Uruguayan-Brazilian co-production reveals itself as an immersive portrait of a nation and of self-discovery. Thus, the purpose of this text is twofold: 1) to look at the way the director uses the road movie subgenre to portray a nation; 2) to understand how by traversing the landscape both Santiago and Juliette find a place within themselves to continue to another potential journey, one that is characterized by transformation and possibility.