#StayHappening
Sat Dec 05 2026 at 02:00 pm to 04:15 pm UTC-05:00

The Arabian Nights: Volume 2, The Desolate One

  • 1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington D.C., DC, United States, Washington, District of Columbia 20013 · Washington
Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art Publisher / Host Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art
Share
The Arabian Nights: Volume 2, The Desolate One
Advertisement
We conclude our series Beyond Aladdin: The Thousand and One Nights on Film with Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes’s ambitious trilogy that transports the tales’ narrator, Scheherazade, to modern Portugal. There, she weaves a tapestry of stories blending comedy, emotion, and documentary. Though they work together as a trilogy, each film stands alone.
An oddball playfulness undergirded by darkness pervades the second volume. It begins with the story of an escaped serial killer who becomes a folk hero by evading the police in ever more ludicrous ways (including teleportation!). In the spirit of The Thousand and One Nights’ narrative swerves, the film shifts to a judge overseeing a seemingly endless trial in which the crimes multiply into realms of the absurd. Finally, the story shifts again to a poodle looking for a new owner in a chaotic, rundown apartment complex.
Intended for mature audiences.
Cost: free, register in advance recommended.
Image courtesy of Kino Lorber.
Director: Miguel Gomes. Countries: Portugal, Germany, France, Switzerland. Released: 2015. Length: 131 min. Format: DCP. Languages: Portuguese, English, French, German, and Mandarin with English subtitles.
Advertisement

Event venue

1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington D.C., DC, United States, Washington, District of Columbia 20013

Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

Discover more events by tag

Ask AI if this event suits you

Keep the plans coming

More events in Washington

Washington is happening.

See everything else that’s on — concerts, markets, comedy and more.