The deserts, caves, and foreboding landscape of Afghanistan play front-and-center in the 1930’s and ‘40’s era relationship drama, “Journey to Kafiristan.” The German-made film follows the travels of two young women, one of which is the real-life story of Swiss writer Annemarie Schwarzenbach (a cohort of Thomas Mann’s children Erika and Klaus), through Geneva to the Balkans and deep into the heart of Persia.

Producers and Directors Fosco and Donatello Dubini generate a leisurely and languorous tale of discovery as the women (played by Jeanette Hain of “The Trio,” and Nina Petri of “Run Lola Run”) undertake their spiritual quest. The beautiful desert and mountain backdrops play to the exotic nature of the trip, a dual journey that doubles as the women’s voyage toward previously quashed feelings of romantic love, that inextricably bubble to the surface as the journey progresses.

The Dubini’s are in absolutely no hurry to reveal the film’s charms, nor are they particularly rushed to bring Hain’s and Petri’s characters to any sense of inevitable fulfillment. The beauty of “Journey to Kafiristan” is very much in the journey, just as would be expected from a film and a set of characters with definite literary overtones of the classic order. The film is always beautiful to behold, and often rewarding its nuances. Perhaps “Journey to Kafiristan” requires patience for dramatic fruition, but simply enjoying the ride is pleasant enough reward for any viewer’s attention.