Are We There Yet?

The Reluctant Traveler

Writer and director Marco Orsini has an enviable life. Young and handsome, he has a well-heeled partner willing to whisk them off to any place in the world on a moment's notice (on his personal jet, no less). They have a gaggle of "European" friends – apparently members of that small group know as the idle rich – always ready for fun with a healthy sense of adventure. Orsini is down with all that, as long as
the adventure includes a posh hotel, brunch, and mimosas following a nice massage. So when Orsini's partner arranges for them to take a 25-day ecotourist tour of Ethiopia, then drops out at the last minute, Orsini must discover how to cope in the less than five-star conditions. Orsini whines and pouts his way through most of the film, but in the end, and in spite of himself, he comes to recognize Ethiopia for what it is: pristinely wild, plainly unforgiving, demanding, and uniquely beautiful. It is one of the few places untouched by the first world and its mandate to conquer and "develop." Thankfully, Orsini avoids becoming an ugly American, developing his sense of adventure while learning about being a citizen of the world. – Belinda Acosta

Thursday, Sept. 10, 9pm.