RAOUL PECK | HAITI, FRANCE, NORWAY | 2014 | 130' | FRENCH, HAITIAN CREOLE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
For his fifth feature film, Haitian director Raoul Peck was inspired by Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini's work. Just as Pasolini quashed the hypocritical sexual morality of the Italian bourgeoisie, Peck harshly comments on issues of racial discrimination, outsiders' influence and the immense class differences in his country, varying between a tone of subtlety and, where necessary, one of blunt force.
Shortly after the devastating January 2010 earthquake, a once well-to-do husband and wife (who remain unnamed during the film) attempt to get their life back on track. Their huge villa has been more or less rendered to ruins. The government issues them an ultimatum: either they start renovating their home ASAP or it shall be demolished. To raise the required money, they decide to rent out the villa's remaining habitable rooms and to move into an adjacent shed. Their tenant, Alex, is a young Frenchman who works for a foreign aid organization, a do-gooder who has come to bring relief, meanwhile benefiting fully from all the misery. Relations are really getting strained with the arrival of Alex' Haitian girlfriend, sassy, highly attractive Jennifer, whose real name is Andrémise. The underlying tension between the four parties determines the final outcome.
Screenings:
Venue: Rialto
SUN 16 AUG – 21:15 (preceded by short Passage) 
SAT 22 AUG – 14:00 (preceded by short Passage)