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Jean Dominique,
Jean Dominique,
Michele Montas,
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Jonathan Demme,
Jonathan Demme
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: New Line Home Video
: Documentary, Biographies
: 91 min.
: English, French
: English, Spanish, French
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The fifth in a series of documentaries revolving around Haiti's struggle for democracy, this piece from director Jonathan Demme revolves around the life of Jean Dominique, a Haitian radio personality who spent his life campaigning for reform within the notoriously oppressed nation. The Agronomist begins just after the 1991 overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, when Dominique and his wife, while at the radio station, came under fire from rebels involved with the coup. Referred to as an agronomist due to his background in agriculture -- which, consequently, brought him into contact with the feudalistic nature of Haiti's farming system -- Dominique's passion for reform landed him in exile. Rather than give up after his release, Dominique initiated a career as a radio communicator, and he allowed Demme access to the station and his personal life during key periods of unrest and political fluctuation. Sadly, the documentary ends with an account of Dominique's assassination in April of 2000. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
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| Haiti Cries for Help
by talltale
June 12, 2005 - 4:23 PM PDT
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2 out of 2 members found this review helpful
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Jonathan Demme's documentary THE AGRONOMIST tells much of the story of Haiti's populist leader Jean Dominique via Dominique himself, as well as through his wife Michelle. Dominique's personality, wit and "performing" style come through strongly; what an interesting, driven guy! (Unfortunately, much of his and his wife's French/Haitian accent is hard to understand. The film might have maintained its use of subtitles even when these two were speaking English.)
As a documentary, "The Agronomist" is only so-so, heavier-handed and more repetitive than necessary, given its short running time. It is an important document, nonetheless, because it so depressingly, if half-assedly, wraps up Haitian history. Will this tiny, half-an-island country ever have anything approaching a decent government? Not, one suspects, until its people rise up and kill off their corrupt leaders, henchmen and military.
As bloody and violent as that may sound, so long as the rich and powerful remain around to co-opt any new "leader" who wins some faux election, the status quo will remain. Not that bloody revolution necessarily results in democratic government either, as history has made plain countless times. That's yet another reason why this film depresses so. See it and weep. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.50)
34 Votes
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