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A singular road trip that follows a Portuguese Rastafarian through an exquisitely filmed, little-seen Cape Verde in search of his father and his roots.
Miguel – aka Tibars, aka Djon África – likes to take it easy. Women, weed and grooming his dreadlocks occupy most of his time, until a chance encounter with a stranger piques his interest in the father he never met. After extracting what information he can from the grandmother who raised him, Miguel sets off to Cape Verde on a quest to find his father. But, intoxicated by the landscape as well as the local liquor, grogue, he quickly loses his bearings.
Working with mostly non-actors and a script that blends fiction and reality, the directors paint a vivid portrait of the former Portuguese colony and its inhabitants on this impressionistic tour. Miguel Moreira, who first appeared in Reis and Miller Guerra’s documentary films, delivers a warmly expressive performance that raises questions about the nature of identity, heritage and home.
"Djon África is a terrific evocation of a character and of a place ... Reis and Guerra bring to life the beauty, people, textures, and (stunningly shot) landscapes of Cape Verde as well as the difficulty of finding home." – The Playlist
