Arabian Nights DVD

Three-part drama from film-maker Miguel Gomes in which he reinvents the 'One Thousand and One Nights' stories and sets them in modern-day Portugal.

In 'Volume 1 - The Restless One', playing himself, Gomes is wrought with anguish at the destruction of Portuguese industry as a result of economic sanctions and austerity in 2013.

His wife, the Arabian Queen Scheherazade (Crista Alfaiate), tries to comfort him and save herself by telling him a new story each night.

The stories span from the absurd and satirical to tales of Chinese emperors and a naysaying cockerel. 'Volume 2 - The Desolate One' focuses on the mental and societal impact of Portugal's austerity.

As Scheherazade continues to tell her stories each night to save her own life, the plots exemplify the social and political upheaval in the country and include a wanted murderer (Chico Chapas) who becomes a hero for rallying against an incompetent local government, a judge (Luísa Cruz) who abandons justice in a peculiar case over which she is presiding, and a dog named Dixie who is moved from home to home in a housing estate deeply affected by austerity. 'Volume 3 - The Enchanted One' focuses on the pressure on storyteller Scheherazade over the course of a week.

A meeting with her father, the Grand Vizier (Américo Silva), inspires her to begin her final tale about a group of men who train finches to sing.