After he is dismissed as a French teacher, middle-aged Haitian man Jean Gentil embarks on a desperate quest for work in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He sets out with a large shopping bag looking for a place in the world and a reason to carry on. During his journey on foot, he passes a building site where he can start work, but he would rather do something that is more intellectually demanding. Jean Gentil, played by Jean Remy Genty, is given all the room he needs to make the transition from the large and continually growing city to the peace of the countryside. The changing surroundings are like a character in themselves. Just as in their feature debut Cochochi, which won the Discovery Award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2007 and was also screened in Rotterdam, the Dominican Laura Amelia Guzmán and the Mexican Israel Cárdenas make use of non-professional actors. The beauty of the island is not able to mask the worries of the inhabitants.
Film details
Countries of production
Dominican Republic, Germany, Mexico
Year
2010
Festival edition
IFFR 2010
Length
84'
Medium/Format
35mm
Language
Spanish
Premiere status
World premiere
Director
Laura Amelia Guzmán Conde, Israel Cárdenas Ramírez
Production company
Aurora Dominicana, Canana Films
Producer
Laura Amelia Guzmán Conde, Israel Cárdenas Ramírez, Pablo Cruz