Gerald Wright's Movie Coverage      

GHOSTS OF CITE' SOLEIL

Directed by: Asger Leth
Running time: 85 minutes
Release date: June 27, 2007
Genre: Documentary (shot with HDCam)
Distributor: THINKFilm
MPAA Rating: N/R, In Haitian, English and French with subtitles

North of Port-au-Prince, Cite' Soleil was known as the most dangerous place on the earth. The film chronicles and follows two brothers who are gang leaders and wanna-be rappers. In this ghetto foot soldiers are known as chimeres (ghosts) who were used to silence the opponents of the former President Jean-Bertand Aristide.

During this period in Haiti's 2004 overthrow of Aristide, the film captures a haunting and vivid story of how Winson "2 Pac" Jean and his younger brother James "Bily" Frere ran a mafia style community, while opposing political and military establishments which were trying to institute their authority in the ravished country. Savage assasinations and brutal killings were a normal way of living as rival gang leaders declared themselves heads of state in their bordered territories. Accompanied by voo-doo, chaos and drugs- this was a hell hole.

In this documentary the two thug brothers are used as henchmen, enforcers and so-called liberators long after the exiled Aristide has fled the country. A personal slant of their life is shown with a love interest of Winson who is a Frenchwoman named Eleonore "Lele" Senlis. Lele is in Haiti as a social relief worker who really becomes an enabler by falling into this subculture. She is a part of the problem as she "blackmarkets" medicines rather than the solution.

This fascinating film is not for thrills and entertaining, but a accurate look of life and history in this notorious land, set to a score by the film's executive producer Wyclef Jean.

B+