Toppa Top 10: Ten Essential Caribbean Films

Words by Romola Lucas

September 2016 is turning out to be a watershed moment for film in the Caribbean. With the 11th edition of the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival and the inaugural Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival in Miami showcasing the best new films from across the region over the next two weeks, Caribbean movies are playing to broader audiences than ever before. Bazodee, the Trinidad-set drama starring soca star Machel Montano is now screening at theaters across Canada and the Caribbean after a successful U.S. run, while Haitian director Raoul Peck just scored the best documentary award at the Toronto International Film Festival. The prestigious showcase also hosted the world premiere of King of the Dancehall, a drama set within Jamaica’s dancehall scene tha’s directed by Nick Cannon, and narrated by Beenie Man.

At the same time, the Caribbean film community is grieving the loss of two icons in Edwin Lothan, better known as Countryman, and Theodoros Bafaloukos, director of the iconic Jamaican film Rockers, who both passed this month. 

In light of all this attention, we had to put together a list of Caribbean film essentials to highlight some of the best of what the Caribbean has to offer in storytelling. This list focuses on feature films, and skews towards the English-speaking islands and territories, but look out for future lists highlighting the essential Caribbean documentaries, Caribbean shorts and feature films from other languages and regions in the Caribbean.

Start the list here.

The Harder They Come (1972)
Perry Henzel, Jamaica

This film tells the story of a young singer, desperate for fame, who gets caught up in the drug trade, is betrayed, and ends up becoming a killer himself, to survive. Led by a hot, young Jimmy Cliff in the role of Ivanhoe, and featuring Carl Bradshaw with his badman swag, and sweet, sweet reggae music, this is the most popular film to come out of Jamaica, and probably the entire Caribbean. The Harder They Come is sure to be a classic for a long time to come.

Smile Orange (1976)
Trevor Rhone, Jamaica

Based on the play Smile Orange, by Trevor Rhone, this fresh and funny take on resort life in Jamaica was an education in itself. With Carl Bradshaw nailing the role of Ringo, a con man working Jamaica’s tourist industry, the experience of watching the film was heart-warming – it was great hearing our accent on screen and seeing a story so unique to our lives in the Caribbean on the big screen. While some might criticize its cinematographic elements, Smile Orange is a classic, and Carl Bradshaw is the man!

Pressure (1976)
Horace Ové, Trinidad & Tobago

Pressure has the distinction of being the first feature length film to be directed by a Black filmmaker, Trinidad-born Horace Ové, in Britain. Although set in the Notting Hill area of London during the 1970s, the themes explored in the film – generational differences between first and second generation immigrant West Indians, poverty, unemployment, antisocial behavior, and  police harassment — are still very relevant in today’s world, and around the Caribbean.

Wan Pipel (1976)
Pim de la Parra, Suriname

Having grown up in Guyana, near Suriname, it was an exciting and wistful experience to watch this film set in our corner of the world. It tells the story of a black Surinamese man, who leaves his Dutch girlfriend to return home when he learns his mother is dying. Back in Suriname, he falls in love with a Hindu woman at a time when the Hindu and Black communities are in conflict, and refuses to return to the “motherland.” Visually, the film looks and feels like a 1970s Black American hippie movie, set in the Caribbean – everything to everyone.

Rockers (1978)
Theodoros Bafaloukos, Jamaica

The music, characters and story of Rockers are just enthralling. It was amazing to see music artists we had only heard in song, alive and well on the screen – Jacob Miller, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear. And how could you not fall in love with the indomitable spirit of Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace, the iconic reggae drummer who plays a version of himself in the lead role. And then there’s the music – chune after chune after chune will have you skanking for days, after. This hilarious, Robin Hood like tale, pitching the poor rastaman against the wealthy business man, has been a must-see for reggae fans for generations.

Countryman (1982)
Dickie Jobson, Jamaica

Every Caribbean film lover loves this film, which offers a loving, mystical view of Jamaica’s beautiful coastline and lesser-seen country areas. And then there’s the soundtrack – the Jamaicans did it again – full of songs by Bob Marley and other reggae icons of the day. As with Rockers and The Harder They Come, Countryman was based a little bit in reality, as the lead actor, known simply as Countryman, played a dramatized version of himself. In the film, his life of solitude as a fisherman is disrupted when he rescues two Americans involved in a plane crash, and has to use his wiles to break free of a plot by scheming politicians.

The Sweetest Mango (2001)
Howard and Mitzi Allen, Antigua

The Sweetest Mango was the first feature-length film to come out of the Eastern Caribbean, and it sold out the box office in Antigua for weeks after its release. The film is essentially the story of the two filmmakers – how they met and fell in love – and that first gift from him to her, a mango. Showcasing the beauty of Antigua — its music, food, and beautiful shoreline — it is an endearing and heartwarming tale of island love.

Children of God (2010)
Kareem Mortimer, The Bahamas

Children of God is one of the first, if not the first, LGBT-themed films made in the Caribbean by a Caribbean filmmaker. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Bahamian island of Eleuthra, this boy-meets-boy love story takes a stab at the vicious homophobia existing in the country. With his beautiful ebony skin, Stephen Tyrone Williams (Da Sweet Blood of Jesus), who is not open about his sexuality with his family and has a girlfriend, falls for a painting student who is trying to find his artistic voice. With beautiful cinematography and themes ranging from denial and hypocrisy to the exploration of love, this is film is a “must see.”

Better Mus’ Come (2013)
Storm Saulter, Jamaica

Similar to its predecessors, Rockers and The Harder They Come, Better Mus’ Come has a reggae-infused soundtrack, and draws heavily on the Rastafarian movement in shaping its lead character. Beautiful visuals, and a nice, easy, down-home vibe are the backdrop for a story of a love caught in the grip of the political strife which has torn Kingston apart for so long. Its acting, particularly that of Sheldon Shepherd, who is a natural on screen, and great color and visual storytelling, make this film a modern-day Caribbean essential.

God Loves the Fighter (2014)
Damian Marcano, Trinidad & Tobago

Damian Marcano has quickly become known as one of the best filmmakers out of the Caribbean today. God Loves the Fighter is his first feature film, and is a great illustration of what the future of Caribbean film holds. Gritty, urban and eclectic, the drama has deservedly drawn comparisons to Brazil’s City of God. Initially a painter, Marcano’s unique storytelling style can be seen in the way he colors the film, uses music and narration to move the story along. The film tells the story of Charlie, who gets caught up on the wrong side of the fence but pays the ultimate price, even after a heroic act. From the opening scene to the very last frame, this film will keep you in its grip.

HONORABLE MENTION

As with every list, there are choices you are dying to include, but for one reason or another, do not make it.  For us, these three films are also worth a mention:

Sugar Cane Alley (1983)
Euzhan Palcy, Martinique

We’ve interviewed a lot of filmmakers, when asked about their favorite film, the most common answer is always Sugar Cane Alley by Euzhan Palcy, who later became the first Black woman to direct a major Hollywood studio film. It tells the story of Jose, who grew up in the 1930s in Maritnique, working the cane fields. He got a shot at an education in France, then life gets in the way.

Another is Hand Full of Dirt (2010) by Russell Watson of Barbados. This is a well-told story of three generations of men in the Redman family – father, grandfather and son – each with an axe to grind with each other, and all trying to break from their past and fulfill their dreams.

And then there is Le Bonheur d’Elza (2011) by Mariette Monpierre of Martinique — a beautifully told story of a young Parisian woman of Guadeloupean descent, who returns to Guadeloupe upon graduation to find her father. When she does, she holds on to her secret and her father does not immediately discover her true identity. The film showcases the physical beauty of the island, its people and life there.

Romola Lucas is the founder and director of the Caribbean Film Academy, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and support of Caribbean filmmaking and filmmakers, and a co-founder of the Third Horizon Film Festival.