DOUBLES WITH SLIGHT PEPPER

This Narrative Short was directed by Ian Harnarine and centers on Dhani, a young man struggling to support himself and his mother, Sumintra, by selling doubles near the busy market. Doubles is the street food of Trinbagonians, it's part of our culture and can be found nearly everywhere in the country, as it is a favorite of many. In the film, we see that selling doubles is the family business, passed down from generation to generation. But times have gotten harder and business is not the way it used to be, making things worse for the already struggling Dhani. One day, after years abroad in Canada, Dhani's estranged father, Ragbir, unexpectedly returns and tries to win back the family he left behind.  With the return of Ragbir, Sumintra sees an opportunity to get what they rightly deserve, the house. Dhani, knowing his father, thinks that he will never sign the house over to them, but shockingly, his father easily complies and gives them the house. We soon learn that Ragbir is fatally ill and is in dire need of a blood transfusion, with Dhani being the best candidate. When Dhani finds this out, it upsets him, making him feel like his father was just saying that he'll sign over the house to them because he needs Dhani's blood. This adds more damage to the already strained and crumbling relationship between father and son. The film takes place during the christmas season and on christmas eve night, Dhani and his family eat, drink and dance to parang music (Trini Christmas Music) like any other Trinbagonian family, only Ragbir gets ill and has to receive urgent medical attention. Dhani is then placed in a situation where he must decide if he will save his father's life despite the strong resentment that he can't seem to let go of.

This film was shot in various locations around Trinidad, such as San Fernando, Gasparillo and Sangre Grande. As said in my previous post, when people think of films showing the Caribbean, they instantly think of sandy beaches, clear blue skies, tall coconut trees, a bright, brilliant sun and blue waters,but this film shows nothing of the sort. Instead we are given a realistic view of a father and son relationship in contemporary Trinidad. The significantly different approach that this film takes is very refreshing as it uses our very own local actors, in addition to displaying the local culture and people of Trinidad and Tobago, something that we rarely see being done in cinemas. It's a film to certainly be proud of.

This film explores various themes such as the bonds within the family unit and the return of nationals to their homeland. The film focuses on the triangular relationship between Son, Mother and Father, where we are exposed to the scars that have been etched into Dhani's heart due to his father's abandonment and also the now mortally ill Ragbir. Dhani is a character that shelters a lot of responsibility, making him a very frustrated, pessimistic young man. The audience can feel Dhani's hatred towards Ragbir, but it is also obvious that while there is a lot of deep seated anger within the family, that does not mean that they don't still love one another, this love is just covered by layers upon layers of hurt and resentment. This resentment that Dhani holds within him seems to be doing more harm to himself than to anyone else.Then there is the eventual forgiveness and healing when Dhani finally reconciles with his father, but it comes at a great cost when we learn that Dhani's blood does not match, leaving Ragbir with a cloudy future.

The film also looks at the return of nationals to their homeland. This is something common in Trinidad, where a lot of times, people migrate to other countries, all in hope of saving up enough money to bring their family abroad to live, so that they can all have a better live. It is known that Canada has a large West Indian community. Many times though, the life that people expect when they go abroad, is not what really happens when they get there. As seen in the film, Ragbir envisioned life different for his family, he wanted to start a roti and doubles shop in Canada, one where all three of them would have worked and made money, but instead, when he came to Canada he found himself living in a basement apartment that he had to share with two other person, washing dishes in a cafeteria for a living. Ragbir was never able to make the money needed to bring his family to live abroad with him, he was unable to offer them the life he planned and because of this he had to leave them behind, resulting in his wife and son resenting him because they thought he has just moved on with his life, a better life and left them behind to suffer.

The film also looks at the doubles culture in Trinidad and Tobago, Doubles is a local delicacy in Trinidad and Tobago. It is a sandwich made with two bara (flat fried bread) filled with channa (curried chick peas), which is then topped with mango, shadon beni, cucumber, coconut, tamarind, and extra pepper sauce. This delicacy is the most popular fast food in Trinidad and Tobago and is something that is eaten anytime of the day or night as it can be found almost anywhere. It is seen in the film, that selling doubles is something which has been passed down from generation to generation in Dhani's family. This is a lot like what happens in Trinidad. In Trinidad, one of the most famous doubles vendors is Sauce Doubles in Curepe. Sauce's Doubles has transformed over time, with nearly his entire family now involved, making it the family business. 

Doubles with slight pepper was exceptionally done, bringing forward the culture and people of Trinidad and Tobago in ways that I have never seen before. Like the film Fish from my previous post, Doubles with slight pepper presents us with another example of why we should continue to use our very own local actors to produce films about Trinidad and the wider Caribbean, always staying true to the story, our story, the story that's worth telling. 

Trailer for Doubles with slight pepper

Full Film : Doubles with slight pepper