Le Grand’Tour

Ten men, most of them married and in their forties, go to the ten-yearly carnival in Stavelot. Dressed in red medieval robes, drinking alcohol and singing carnival songs, they roam the Belgian Ardennes for four days. This drunken procession gives them a taste for more.
At the initiative of the leader Vincent, they march four weeks from one village party to another. It’s a real test of their mutual relationships, certainly when the charismatic and selfish Vincent decides to stop drinking and taking drugs. Slowly, the festive mood gives way to deeper emotions. Some give up, and one of them, a sturdy trucker, even realises that he is secretly in love.
The realistic reporting and interviews suggest a documentary. No chance. Le Grand’Tour is pure fiction, which Jérôme le Maire balances cleverly between absurd farce and serious drama. An alienating parody of survival weekends in the Ardennes, but also of reality shows like Survivor.