At least that's the extremely optimistic take on the results of what clearly is a very bad upbringing for two young girls. While the MacKinnons' treatment of this odyssey is more frustrating than illuminating, the immersion in the North African culture and the beauty of the country outweigh the wrenching parental indiscretions. He lives in London and sends child support, though not faithfully. Her parents dead, Julia decides the workaday life is poison - and detrimental to her young girls. So she drags them off on her journey to self-actualization.
Trouble is, it's a dirty trip, fraught with danger and heartbreak.
Suffice to say, that leads to heartbreak. I need to go to school and learn things. Though painful, theirs is nonetheless a gorgeous travelogue, rich in the flavor of Morocco. It is amazing, though all too believable, that Julia could fail to heed every single sign that she's teetering on the edge of oblivion and endangering her daughters at the same time. That frustration is likely to eclipse the movie's magical moments for many viewers.