Review of Ghosts of Cité Soleil (2006) by Jared L — 10 Dec 2007

This is a very dark, very sad documentary about life in Haiti. There really are not any "good guys" in the film. Everyone is vying for power and struggling to stay alive at all costs. There also is no clear solution to the problems that plague Haiti.

Don't expect a Hollywood ending here. While the film takes us into reportedly the most dangerous place in the world, it could do a much better job of explaining events captured on camera. For example, there is a scene where a woman gives birth and the mid-wife walks away with the baby.

Is the baby stillborn? What might have caused it? What's the infant mortality rate in Haiti and how does that compare with other countries? If the purpose of the documentary is to inform, these questions should be answered.

Also, I would like to know more about Wyclef Jean's involvement in ending the conflict. Is he doing anything Bono-esque to end the violence? The most pressing question for me was: why does the French aid worker enter a relationship with a notorious killer? What exactly was she thinking? The topic is very engaging, but needs quite a bit of development.