Murder in Pacot
Description
Grappling with the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, a formerly well-to-do husband and wife rent their crumbling house in a tony Port-au-Prince neighborhood to European aid worker, Alex, while they relegate themselves to a shed in the backyard. When Alex’s brash young Haitian girlfriend Andrémise shows up, an emotionally fraught game of sexual intrigue and class warfare ensues. In Murder in Pacot, director Raoul Peck tackles the heady issues of race, class, gender and post-colonialism through the disillusioned eyes of his richly drawn characters. Newcomer Lovely Kermonde Fifi blazes onscreen as Andrémise—her overripe sexuality barely concealing a dexterous cunning—and Alex Descas (star of numerous Claire Denis films) brings typical steely reserve to the role of commanding patriarch. While the drama does eventually erupt into violence, the “murder” in Murder in Pacot is not so much about personal vendetta as it is about the killing of a social order, and even an entire civilization. Left behind to rebuild from the rubble, these lost souls must learn how to renegotiate their landscape, and their very lives. —Michelle Devereaux
Acclaimed Haitian filmmaker and activist Raoul Peck is known for documentaries and fiction features that frequently tackle social and political issues, including The Man by the Shore (SFIFF 1994), Lumumba (2000), Sometimes in April (2005) and Fatal Assistance (SFIFF 2013), a documentary on rebuilding efforts following Haiti’s 2010 earthquake. His work has been screened in competition at the Cannes and Berlin film festivals, and he served on the Cannes festival jury in 2012. In the 1990s, he briefly served as Haiti’s Minister of Culture.
Trailer
//player.vimeo.com/video/122133506?autoplay=1Film Details
Language French, Haitian creole
Original Language Title Meurtre à Pacot
Year 2014
Runtime 130
Country Haiti/France/Norway
Director Raoul Peck
Producer Rémi Grellety, Raoul Peck
Writer Raoul Peck, Lyonel Trouillot, Pascal Bonitzer
Editor Alexandra Strauss
Cinematographer Eric Guichard
Music Alexei Aigui
Cast Alex Descas, Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin, Thibault Vinçon, Lovely Kermonde Fifi