This Narrative Feature was directed Jahmil XT Qubeka and is set in South Africa.
The running time for the film is 109 minutes.
Banned on the first day of the Durban International Film Festival for featuring an underage character having a sexual relationship with an adult, which many constitute as child pornography, this film tells the story of Parker, a travelling substitute teacher, who moves to a rural town to begin his job as a new teacher at a local school. The first impression of Parker is that of a well mannered man but this is all a facade as Parker is not who he seems. It doesn't take long for him to strikes up an affair with a 16 year old student, Nolitha. Soon the obsessive madness that Parker has inside of him, surfaces, showing the bloody psychopath that he really is.
Shot in shades of black and white, this is a modern film noir. The fact that Parker barely utters a word throughout the movie increases the already overflowing creepiness of this film and the music just adds to this...so yea it’s pretty unsettling. The shots go back and forth between past and present, enthralling the audience and taking us on a disturbing journey into the mind of a mentally unstable young man.
The movie has a substantial amount of sexual violence, forcing viewers out of their comfort zones and into the cold, grim world that is being portrayed on the screen. In the film we see the theme of misplaced trust, where men take advantage of young girls.
This film has been the subject of much debate and controversy since it’s release. Clearly we can see why. Nevertheless, the film was well done, definitely worth watching. I love films that challenge norms and breaks boundaries and this is exactly what this film has done. I must applaud Jahmil XT Qubeka for being brave enough to produce such a film because I’m quite sure he knew the implications that a film like this would bring forth.
This thriller was directed by Lucía Puenzo and is set in Argentina. The running time for this film is 94 minutes.
The film was inspired by true events and takes place in Patagonia, 1960, where a German doctor becomes the first guest at a hotel that an Argentinean family have just inherited.
What the family don’t know is that this man has a deadly secret, he is the former Nazi officer Josef Mengele, one of World War II’s most dangerous Nazi criminals, also known as the “Angel of Death.” Without any knowledge of who this man truly is, Eva, Enzo and their three children, welcome this man into their home, entrusting their young daughter, Lilith, to his care.
All the while, Israeli agents are desperately looking for this man to bring him to justice for the awful, horrendous things that he's done.
Based on filmmaker Lucía Puenzo's (XXY) fifth novel, the story follows Josef Mengele, the "Angel of Death," a German SS officer and a physician at the Auschwitz concentration camp, in the years he spent "hiding", along with many other Nazi's, in South America following his escape from Germany.
This story with its historical foundation was brilliantly done, fictionalizing the Post World War II life of Josef Mengele. In the film we see Josef’s obsession with genetic experimentation, as he makes drawings of what he considers the "perfect species", tall, blond hair, blue eyes. Lilith is the one who captures Mengele interest the most. She is taunted in school and is all too eager to let Mengele help her. Mengele is also seen treating Eva, who is pregnant with twins, something that arouses Mengele’s interest.
The scenery of the beautiful Argentinian mountains work well to contradict the ghastly and demented story that’s taking place. The build up of the film was cleverly done, and added to the overall atmospheric suspense and building tension.
This film is unnerving on so many levels, but I love it. It’s definitely a must see!!
This 2014 Narrative was directed by Robert Yao Ramesar. The film was shot in the region of Haiti and is 65 minutes in length.
The film centers around Marie-Thérèse, who leaves Haiti to go live in New York with her family when Jean-Bertrand Aristide is thrown out of power. Years later, Paul, a fellow Haitian shows up in New York and falls in love with Marie-Thérèse. Paul wants to live in New York but Marie wants to go back to Haiti, they eventually agree on having the wedding in Haiti. When they go back to Haiti to get married, the date and time of the wedding coincide with the 2011 earthquake that shook the nation. The earthquake causes a lot more than physical damage as it separates the lovers without either one of them knowing if the other is alive. A year later, they meet again, rekindling their love and their wish to be married. The plot takes an interesting twist and leaves audiences baffled and at times very much confused at the way things turn out.
The director of this film, Mr. Robert Yao Ramesar is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s leading filmmakers. This is the first film of his that I've ever seen; I have always heard high praises about him so I was really looking forward to seeing his work.
A lot takes place in the film through innuendo and suggestion. At times I thought the film became a bit too confusing to keep up with, I got lost a couple of times and there were parts where everything seemed to be all over the place. It was obvious from the start, that the film was shot with a very low budget. Overall the film was not what I expected, I have to admit that I expected more from Yao Ramesar after everything that I've heard about him and the type of films that he’s known for producing. Although I must commend his creativity, his use of symbolism throughout the film was beautiful done.
After the showing of the film, Yao Ramesar was available for a question and answer session. He commented that if the audience found themselves confused after the film, that was the way he intended it. He also shone light on the fact that a lot of funding for the film had to be done out of his own finances, so sometimes, some of the shots were taken using cell phones. He explained that shooting in Haiti proved to be very difficult, as a lot of things he had to do alone. It is known though, that Yao shoots his narrative feature films with a very small crew, sometimes as small as two persons, for financial reasons I suppose. Overall the film took a lot from him and was very rough on his body physically. In the end he tried his best to be as honest as he could to the people of Haiti, to the devastation and destruction that they faced and to depicting it all on film; the film was inspired by the everyday lives of people living in Haiti.
The film while disappointing at some points, has a lot of promise and when you really take the time to look at the kind of effort that Mr.Yao put into making this film, it’s truly remarkable how dedicated he is, something I can't help but admire.
So while I did not like the film as much as I thought I would have, I definitely respect and appreciate what Yao represents and what he’s trying to do. For that very reason I would recommend the film to anyone and ask that you not judge the film without understanding Yao’s journey and what he was really trying to do.
So I'm back and as promised this post will be about my interpretation of what I think really happened in the film OMAR.
So here goes :
At the beginning of the film the audience is given a slight idea that Amjad may have feelings for Nadia, but from close observation Amjad must have known Omar and Nadia were together. I believe Amjad was the traitor all along! When Agent Rami said he knew everything, I'm quite sure he was getting this "everything" from Amjad. Amjad working as an informant could have been the reason he was so hesitant to shoot the Israeli soldier in the beginning. Also while Omar was in prison, Agent Rami filled Omar's head with the idea that Nadia was keeping secrets. I honestly think poor Nadia had no secrets, she was never even pregnant for Amjad, or else it would have been the very first thing she would have apologized to Omar about when she spoke to him for the first time in over two years and remember, she did say the baby was not premature. She kept saying she knew he was angry with her for doubting that he was loyal to his country and his cause..so all this time, that's why this poor girl thought he wanted nothing to do with her. Their living situation is nothing like ours, she can't just pick up the phone and call him and ask why he's angry, the only way they can communicate is when Omar climbs over the wall, which he did not do for two years. And she did try to communicate via a letter to Omar, but he refused to take the letter because he thought she had betrayed him. So feeling as though Omar wanted nothing to do with her, Nadia accepted Amjad's proposal.
Therefore plotting all of this between Omar and Nadia were easy to accomplish for Agent Rami and Amjad. I really do believe Amjad and Agent Rami were in cahoots all along and planned everything, with killing Tarek being the finale of their great scheme. Amjad therefore fulfilled his part as a spy, proved his loyalty to Agent Rami by killing Tarek and even got the girl for himself.
I do believe that this film definitely kept with the whole Romeo and Juliet idea, where Omar and Nadia were unfortunately star-crossed. Yes the audience knew they were doomed from the start, but you could not help but hope that they would somehow and someday get their happy ending. Concerning the end of the film where Omar kills Rami, I highly doubt Omar's going to get away with it as there were two other Israeli soldiers on the scene. Omar will probably be killed by the Israeli soldiers or thrown back in jail a third time and maybe this time forever. Such a sad ending, really and truly unfortunate; but this is the reality of what people in these regions go through behind those tall, threatening walls.
It seems that everyone betrays Omar and on either side of the wall there was no one he could really put his trust in. The separation wall makes the important aspects of life, like intimacy, connection, loyalty and love impossible, thus making it easy for betrayal to take root and cause havoc. In war-torn environments, betrayal is a necessity and with Omar having such an innocent, open, kind and loving personality, although these qualities make him a great person, they make him an easy target for people like Agent Rami to use and abuse.
For those of you who read my post on the film "BELLE", there is a certain quote I heard in that film that stuck in my mind and when I was looking at "OMAR" this quote seemed so relevant. Its a quote that was said by Lord Mansfield to John Davinier, which says, "The world is a devastating place, you must learn to protect your emotions if you wish to prevent matters of law and love from devastating you." It is of my opinion that this particular quote fits in so well with OMAR, as OMAR shows us that the world is indeed a highly destructive place and to prevent issues of betrayal, one must tightly guard and secure their emotions so that they don't end up in the same disastrous situation that the character Omar was unfortunately left in.
Director Hany Abu-Assad did a phenomenal job in showing us how oppressed the Palestinians are, the fine line existing between love and politics for people living in these war-torn atmospheres, how much more than physical separation the wall brings forth and the ceaseless and unnecessary suffering that is brought about by all of this. It hurts my heart to see so much death and destruction, we really do need more love in this world! This film was definitely an eye-opener for me and really impacted my thoughts on this whole Palestine and Israel situation.
Leave a comment below and let me know how this film affected your view of this never ending war between Palestine and Israel.
OMAR is a 2013 Palestinian thriller directed by Hany Abu-Assad. This film is a present-day film and considering everything that is going on between Palestine and Israel, Omar definitely has international appeal and I can honestly admit that from all the films seen at this year's festival, without a doubt, this one was my personal best. From the very start of the film there is action, and this action continues throughout the film, never having a dull moment.
This powerful thriller centers on the eponymous Palestinian character Omar. Omar is a young baker who frequently climbs the wall separating Israel and the West Bank (Palestine). On the other side, Omar's childhood friends Tarek and Amjad are awaiting him, along with Tarek's sister and Omar's love interest Nadia.
From left to right : Tarek, Amjad and Omar
The film has elements of Shakespearean tragedy as Omar and Nadia can be easily identified as a modern day Romeo and Juliet.
Nadia & Omar
In the film, on more than one occasion, it is seen how harshly the Palestinians are treated by the Israelis. After years of being dominated and unfairly treated by the Israelis, the Palestinians are now rebelling and we see this when Omar is humiliated by some Israeli soldiers which causes him to encourage Tarek and Amjad to hasten their planned attack on the Israelis. Later one night, the trio sets out to shoot and kill a Israeli soldier and although Amjad is the one who pulls the trigger, it's as if they all did it.
Omar being humiliated by the Israeli officers
Omar, Amjad and Tarek spying on the Israelis right before shooting one of the soldiers.
After killing the soldier, the Israelis are now on the hunt for the persons responsible. Eventually Omar is captured, mercilessly and barbarically beaten, tortured and eventually coerced into making a confession by an Israeli agent named Rami. This puts Omar in a position where he must either co-operate with the enemy and turn in his friends or rot in jail for the rest of his life. This exact situation is what many Palestinians are faced with as thousands of men, women and children are thrown into jail, abused in many ways and left to rot without any sort of proper court trial. The Palestinians are so oppressed by the Israeli government, they are confined by a threatening wall separating them not just physically from each other but mentally and emotionally and the results of this are devastating. The Israeli military are on the prowl night and day and they control and manipulate the lives of the Palestinians.
Out of desperation and his need to see Nadia, Omar agrees to comply with Agent Rami's request to co-operate with the Israelis and bring in Tarek who is the ring leader of these freedom fighters. Upon release, Omar's loyalty to his friends is questioned but he shows them that he has no intention of doing what the Israelis asked and instead plans an ill-conceived ambush which ends with him back in jail. Omar can't stand being in jail and begs Agent Rami to give him another chance to set things right. After much begging, he is given this chance but with less liberties as before. Being released from jail a second times increases everyone's suspicion that Omar may indeed be a traitor, even Nadia starts questioning him. But while Nadia is questioning Omar's loyalty to his country, Omar is questioning Nadia's faithfulness to him, as he is made to believe that she is hiding secrets from him; all of this puts a lot of strain on their relationship and things begin to fall apart. It is discovered that someone among them is indeed a traitor which was the reason why the ambush had failed. Paranoia and betrayal are significant themes running throughout this film as everyone begins questioning the other. This very paranoia is what inspired director Hany Abu-Assad's idea of this story. While making one of his other films he always felt as if someone was spying on him and this nagging feeling never went away, so he channeled the feeling into his next film, which became Omar. Paranoia is a big issue among the Palestinians and although it is not openly discussed it is always there, as anyone could be a double agent, making trust an enormous issue.
Tension keeps building in the film as pressure is placed on Omar to deliver Tarek or be thrown back in jail, at the same time Omar is suspecting that Amjad and Nadia are having a secret affair. Eventually Amjad confesses that he got Nadia pregnant. After Omar releases his anger, hurt and disappointment on Amjad's face, he agrees to go with Amjad to tell Tarek the news and promises to help Amjad and Nadia as he still loves and cares for her dearly. When Tarek is told the news about Nadia, he gets into a scuffle with Amjad and Tarek is accidentally shot by Amjad (or was it an accident?) With Tarek now being dead, Omar does not have to return to prison and gives Amjad money to marry Nadia, never wanting to have anything to do with both of them ever again.
Amjad (left) & Omar (right)
Tarek dies after scuffle with Amjad
Two years pass and Omar is visited by Agent Rami saying that he has another task for Omar and if he refuses he will see to it that Nadia pays. Omar goes to climb the wall for the first time in over two years to go see Amjad but he struggles to climb the wall where before he did it so easily. But you see, this time everything is different, every time Omar tries to climb he falls back down and this scene is so significant as it shows the internal conflicts, torture and endless frustration that Omar is facing after everything that had happened.
Omar going to climb the wall for the first time in two years
He eventually gets across the wall and goes to Amjad and Nadia's home to meet Amjad but ends up meeting Nadia. Nadia is there with her two children and Omar and her finally talk. She profusely apologizes for doubting his loyalty to his country two years ago...which is strange to me because I would have thought that the first thing she would apologize for would be about being unfaithful to him when they had something so special. But she brought up nothing of the sort, which started to really get my attention. She even questioned why he didn't ask for her hand in marriage and this question in particular really got me thinking. I mean, why would she ask such a question if she knew that it was known to Omar that she was unfaithful and got pregnant for Amjad, while at the same time her and Omar were both planning a life together? It seemed unbelievable and shameful that she would even ask such a question. Then Omar asked if the child was born prematurely and the question appeared to be strange to her, as she didn't seem to understand why he would ask that. Nonetheless her face was completely honest when she answered and said that the child was NOT premature. It was as if Omar had the air knocked out of his body as her response brought with it the realization of what really went on back then and how much his life has been toyed with.
Omar calls Agent Rami and tells him that he will do as he asked but he wants a gun in return. Rami complies and brings the gun for Omar, Omar asks Rami to show him how to operate the gun and when Rami gives Omar the gun to try, the audience is in no way prepared for what happens next. Omar turns the gun on Rami and with the most frightening anger on his face, he shoots Rami in the face killing him. And just like that the film ends!!!!
Agent Rami (left) teaching Omar (right) how to use the gun
Omar taking his revenge
Well at this point I could not have been more confused about what I just saw. The ending took a completely shocking turn, in no way did I expect this to happen. The film was so open ended that it was not until I was on my way home from watching the film, after really thinking and analysing the movie over and over and over in my head that I came up with what I believe really happened....
So what I'm going to do is attach the trailer and full movie for OMAR here. I invite you all to watch the movie and leave a comment giving me your interpretation of what you think really happened.
I will do a follow up post with my interpretation of what I think took place, so look out for that next ok. But for now, I would love to hear from all of you. So with all of that said, let's begin! =)
"All About the Feathers" is a 2013 Costa Rican narrative feature, directed by Neto Villalobos and made its T+T premiere at this year's trinidad+tobago film festival. This film is 85 minutes long and is in Spanish but with English subtitles. Honestly, I initially thought that the fact that the film was entirely in Spanish would have been a problem for me but the subtitles were very easy to follow along to and the strong impact of the film was surely no less felt. The film is a deadpan comedy and centers around the protagonist and main character Chalo, a very awkward looking man with a deep desire to own his own gamecock. You see, Chalo leads an extremely dull life and having a job as a security guard at an abandoned factory does not make his life any better. Chalo is very lonely, he is not seen as having a family or anyone of significance in his life. Chalo has a cellphone and at the beginning of the film, anytime his cell rings, it’s always someone calling a wrong number, which to me emphasises the depth of loneliness or lack of significant people in Chalo’s life.
Chalo
At the beginning of the film Chalo keeps annoying a shop keeper by endlessly requesting to purchase his bird so that he can enter the bird into cock fighting. You just have to admire Chalo's persistence, the guy just does not give up! Eventually the shop keeper gives in and gives Chalo the bird. The introduction of this bird into Chalo’s life is a significantly life changing moment for Chalo and he is overflowing with happiness and excitement as he now gets to have his own gamecock, which he names Rocky. Rocky is Chalo's new protege but the only problem now is that he has no place to put Rocky, as everywhere he goes, the bird is strictly not allowed. Chalo is left constantly looking for somewhere that he can keep his new bird and train him to fight, which all leads to a string of hilarious events that puts Chalo's love for his new feathered friend to the test. Chalo struggles to find a home for Rocky, but the love and admiration that he has for Rocky does not allow him to give up. Along the way Chalo develops three new friendships, not counting the one he has with Rocky. The first friend he makes is with a young boy by the name of Erlan. Chalo meets Erlan on a bus and they both go to watch a cockfight together, sharing a love for gamecocks. The second friend that Chalo makes is with another security guard by the name of Jason. Jason is new to the job and is placed as Chalo's working partner. Jason’s character brings out a lot of the comedy in the film and his character seems to really connect with the audience. I personally find Jason to be one of my favourite characters in the film. Chalo then makes a third friend, who is a woman by the name of Candy. Candy is a maid working in one of the nearby houses and has a very warm, gentle, nurturing and kind personality. Candy teaches Chalo how to use his cellphone to send text messages and regularly texts him and he is seen smiling as he reads her message. Their relationship does not become romantic, they simply remain good friends. The fact that they text each other and more importantly that Chalo now has someone contacting him on his cell phone other than someone just reaching a wrong number, now shows how Chalo’s life is changing as he now has persons of significance in his life. Chalo's newly found friends all support him and even go with him to Rocky's cockfights, proudly and passionately cheering for him and Rocky, even when Rocky loses. It’s important to note that Rocky either directly or indirectly brought these people into Chalo’s once empty life, showing the significant impact of Rocky. Even though Rocky may not have won any cockfights as Chalo had planned, he won Chalo three new friends and by extension, an enhanced and more vibrant life.
From left to right :
Erlan, Candy, Chalo, Jason
Unfortunately poor Rocky dies and in a most dreadful way too. Jason invited Chalo and the other friends over to his house for his one of childrens birthday party. During the party, Jason shows Chalo a gun he got from a friend and said that he was practising his skills. To be more clear, there is certain exam that you had to take as a security officer and while Chalo passed, Jason failed and had to be removed as Chalo’s security partner, hence the reason Jason is practising so that he can re-take the exam. Chalo shows Jason his shooting skills and then Jason tries and accidentally shoots Rocky, killing Rocky instantly. Chalo and all his friends then have a little funeral ceremony for poor Rocky. Rocky is now gone but he definitely made his mark in the lives of Chalo and his new friends. Chalo's life is no longer the way it used to be, yes he still has his boring job as a security guard but he now has three new friends who I am sure will make his days much brighter. I have no doubt that this incident will not deter Chalo from his cockfighting dream, I'm sure he would probably find some way to get another bird that he can train and enter into cockfights and who knows along the way he might even make some more friends.
The film is set in rural areas in Costa Rica, in the film you see abandoned building, rusty roof tops, neglected lots, houses under construction, hostels where people just need somewhere to sleep for the night, only to have to find another place to lay their head tomorrow, you see the rickety buses, the cockfighting arenas and the streets. Honestly, whenever I thought of Costa Rica these were not the images I got in my head. I more pictured beautiful sandy beaches, really nice forests to go hiking and other sightseeing places. While all of these places do exist in Costa Rica, filmmaker Neto Villalobos shows the audience a very different, more working-class type of setting. “I see the beauty in chaos,” Villalobos says. Which clearly explains the setting of his film. Villalobos explains, “I know there are a lot of magical places in Costa Rica, and beautiful beaches, but that’s not what I wanted to show. I love that, but I think there is a beauty in this other Costa Rica that people are not used to seeing." He then goes on to say, “And it’s not, like, ‘Oh, they’re so poor.’ No,” he emphasises. “These are also really happy people and they don’t need a lot of things.” Villalobos does not conceal this part of Costa Rica and although we see no sandy beaches and beautiful forests, there is beauty in the way that these people live their lives and enjoy the most mundane of activities. Villalobos portrays it all in a friendly and fun way, where we can all look at it with easy eyes and smile knowing a lot of us can relate as we may be in similar situations but always aspiring for more.
The cast of this film includes mostly non-professional actors (and animals). I read that the guy who acted as Jason was a non-professional actor, and I honestly would not have even guessed that unless I read that article. I think in this type of film which focuses on the everyday life of working-class people, unprofessional actors are ideal as these are the people who have the history of living simple, ordinary but happy lives in Costa Rica. For these people, getting into character would happen naturally, giving the show a very realistic quality. All the actors did an excellent job and their characters were portrayed so flawlessly with so much personality that they did not need to go over-board to get a point across, they were simply understood and I loved that. The plot of this film is offbeat but thoroughly worked out. The film is a deadpan comedy and this comedy often occurs during immaculate static shots, where both the camera and the actors have immense control. Most scenes follow one after the next without any breaks in between, showing us everyday life for the working-class persons, exactly as it is in Costa Rica. The manner in which the film is shot, draws the audience into the film, listening to the conversations of the characters, as if we are actually there standing with them. Net Villalobos tells a simple story but with significant effect and this is the kind of story that anyone can relate to; the ordinary man trying to do something that everyone else thinks is irrelevant but does it anyways. See below for the trailer of the film! Thanks for reading =)
Belle is a UK drama film, directed by Amma Asante, written by Misan Sagay, and produced by Damian Jones.This film is a Narrative Feature of 105 minutes and stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Sam Reid, Matthew Goode, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, Tom Felton, and James Norton. This film, although produced in 2013, made its Caribbean Premiere at this year’s trinidad+tobago film festival. The film is based on a true story and was inspired by the striking 1779 portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle beside her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray. This portrait was hung at Kenwood House until 1922 and today hangs at Scone Palace Scotland. I have to agree, the painting is indeed very striking and I can see why it inspired the film. This painting is shockingly different from the ones usually seen during that particular period in time, with powerful appeal and intriguing details, as Dido, a bi-racial woman is portrayed as being equally noble as her English cousin. Dido is painted wearing expensive ostrich feathers, which is in marked contrast to the usual subservient poses of black people in paintings of that era. The picture shows the closeness between Dido and her cousin, despite the position of black skinned people in Britain at the time. Dido is carrying a plate of fruit which makes the portrait look very natural, playful and affectionate. It's not even clear who painted the portrait but it is clear that Dido's great uncle, William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, then Lord Chief Justice of England, commissioned the painting, which would have been a very very brave act for the time and place, especially from someone with such high social standing. Truly truly commendable!!
1779 painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle (1761 - 1804) and her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray (1760 -1825)
The film was set in the year 1769, when Britain was a colonial empire and a slave trading capital. British society of that era was built on its slave trade, which made Britain as dependent as America on a slave economy, but it was a faraway trade most didn't have to confront face to face.The story in this film brightly shines the light on the slave trade and brings it to the forefront. This right here is the exact reason why I choose to look at this film! The story takes place during a crucial time in history when England is at danger of upsetting their economic dependence on slavery. Throughout the film, a court case is taking place on what became known as the Zong massacre. The Zong massacre took place when 132 slaves on route from Africa to the West Indies were thrown overboard from the Zong slave ship. The slave traders claimed that this was done for the sole purpose of the safety of the ship, saying that the slaves were diseased, some even close to dying and that there was barely enough water aboard the ship for both slaves and crew to survive the rest of the voyage. The slave owners then filed with the insurance company for financial re-compensation of each slave that was lost, as they claimed that what happened was done out of complete necessity to save the ship. Lord Mansfield is seen as the person who rules on this case in England's Court of King's Bench in 1786, in a decision that can bring the slave trade to its knees and destroy the economic foundation of England. The film mainly centers on Dido Elizabeth Belle. Dido, who was born on English soil, was the illegitimate, mixed-race daughter of a British admiral named Sir John Lindsay and an enslaved black Caribbean woman by the name of Maria Belle. Before leaving to go captain a voyage to the indies on a longitude experiment, Sir John Linsay left Dido in the entrusted care of a then appalled Lord Mansfield and his wife. The audience is taken on a journey to see Dido as she becomes a young woman, constantly struggling as a Mulatto who is placed in a position that makes her too high in rank to dine with the servants but too low in rank to dine with her family and with very very slim prospects of marriage but yet finding the strength and courage to ensure that justice was rightly served with this horrid Zong massacre.
At the end of the film, the audience learns that the slave traders deliberately choose to use the ‘tight-packing’ method to place the slaves in, although they knew that this method of transportation was highly responsible for causing diseases in the slave, which would eventually render them unable to serve as they normally would. It was also discovered that the slave trader’s excuse of there being limited supply of water for both slaves and crew was completely false, as the ship passed no less than eight ports where they could have replenished their supplies but did not, either because they did not need a re-supply of water or they knew what they had planned. To discharge slaves into the water for compensation purposes is entirely illegal and besides being illegal, it is wrong and INHUMANE on so many levels!!! It was therefore declared that a fraud was committed and as Lord Mansfield rightly said, “the state of slavery is so odious a position, that nothing may support it.” The zone case became a seminal step towards the abolition of slavery, paving the way for the landmark 1833 British law abolishing slavery. Some say that Mansfield’s decision may have been coloured because of the affection he felt for Dido.
In conclusion, I can honestly say that I enjoyed every second of this inspiring and beautiful film. As a film that is set during such a visually-rich period, there is a high need to portray excellent visuals. The filmmakers definitely did a praiseworthy job in capturing all the images in such stunning detail and accuracy which added significantly to the splendid beauty of the film as a whole. The result was indeed truly phenomenal, leaving long lasting images in my mind. The actors really got into character and all did an excellent job, giving us stellar performances. I am deeply grateful that I received the opportunity to see this film as it was not just merely entertaining but a significantly important learning experience for me, very happy that the trinidad+tobago film festival had this on show for all to see. As a person of the Caribbean, stories like this are worth knowing. To move towards a bright future, we need to know about the past, about where we came from and how we became who we are as a people today. So I strongly recommend this film to everyone, add it to your movie list and I can assure you, without a doubt, that this film will have every bit of a lasting effect on you as it had on me. Thanks for reading! Check out the trailer for the film below..
