In the 60’s life in Haiti was not an easy thing unless you belonged to the ruling class or the dictator’s family or friends of the family. Papa Doc’s reign was very brutal and any deviation from the rule was punishable by death or torture. A young girl is exposed to the brutality of the Tonton Macoute (the private secret police and milicia that Papa Doc used to terrorize Haitians for 29 years. She does not understand all the ramifications of what she sees, but through her aunt’s agony and fears and ultimately arrest, she knows that life around her is not good and there is a lot os sadness and sorrow too. The pace of the movie also convey very well the fact that people are trapped in this world and it seems that it will last forever. The use of very somber colours add to the evil atmosphere that lingers on the town. –IMDb
Born in Haiti, raised in Zaire (Congo) and France, he additionally is well-suited for the international following he has earned. He remains one of few filmmakers that successfully produce documentaries and feature films. No doubt his early travels throughout the world have informed his particular aesthetic as a filmmaker. Educated in Haiti, Zaire (Congo), France, and Germany, Peck initially studied engineering and economics at Berlin University. He worked as a journalist and photographer from 1980 to 1985. In 1988 he received his film degree from the Berlin Academy of Film and Television. Since graduation, Peck has developed short experimental works, socio-political documentaries, and features based on fact as well as fiction. His feature L’Homme sur les quais (1993) (The Man by the Shore) was the first Haitian film to be released in theatres in the United States; this feature was also selected for competition at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. A true internationalist, Peck divides his… read more
For those of us hundreds or even thousands of miles away, the devastation in Haiti is unfathomable, however many articles we've read or hours
