| Haiti Cries for Help |
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| written 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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