Ghosts of Cité Soleil
Director: Asger Leth. Writer: Asger Leth. Cinematography: Frederik Jacobi, Asger Leth, Milos Loncarevic. Film editing: Adam Nielsen. Production design: Asger Leth. Music: Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis, Wyclef Jean. Producer: Seth Kenagis, Tomas Radoor, Mikael Rieks. With: Winson “2Pac” Jean, Wyclef Jean, James “Bily” Petit Frère, Éleonore “Lele” Senlis. Denmark/USA. In: English/Creole/French. 88 min. 2006.
Documentary about a gang called Chimères, or Ghosts, that served the brutal interests of Haiti’s then-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in a district of Port-au-Prince identified by the United Nations as the most dangerous place on the planet. Leth showed obvious courage in cozying up to these thugs--with a video camera, no less—but the movie often seems cluttered, cryptic, and murky, and despite its constant reminders of who’s who among the main “characters,” their relationships are surprisingly unclear at times. The picture’s slick, hokey editing doesn’t help. The final score is A for effort, C for achievement.
-- David Sterritt
