Best Films of 2011 - According to Film Students (Part 3)

Best Films of 2011: Betta Mus Come

A Review by Dainia Wright 

The idea of a signature Caribbean style for our films, an aesthetic that captures our essence, is one the many interesting points about the film.  The cinematography is edgy, capturing the rawness of the Jamaican culture with extensive use of handheld photography more typically used in documentary. Saulter’s style infused the film with a sense of romanticism of the life of poverty in Jamaican ghettoes. Despite the fact that Ricky has leverage being a gunman for the Jamaica Labour Party (implied), he is still not able to receive running water. Jamaican political tribalism has established a system where one’s political affiliation hinders one’s social mobility.

The plot of the film is unconventional, suspending Classical Hollywood’s notion of a cause-effect narrative, which extends to Ricky’s lack of control of his own life. Ricky tries to exit the life of a gangster and tries to bring his companions with him in hopes of providing a better example for his son. He falls for the beautiful Kemala, who unfortunately lives on the wrong side of the neighbourhood, who also holds the interest of the opposing community don, Dog Heart. Realizing that the life of an ordinary citizen was unlikely because of the political situation in the country, they are lured back into the life of crime and to their demise.

The film is reminiscent of Perry Henzel’s The Harder They Come, in its tone, the disjointed plot construction and more blatantly the similarities in the deaths of the protagonists.  Betta Mus’ Come, however, adds a modern dimension in its cinematography style, which not only adds a degree of reality but of the roughness of their lifestyle, always on the go.  Thus the film recreates the beginning of the film industry for Jamaicans and has incited a new excitement over the possibility of a film industry in Jamaica.

Storm Saulter and his team are experimenting with a new form of distribution for the Caribbean. Rather than waiting on distribution deals from Hollywood, they have taken into their own hands to seek out cinemas to play their film. They also appeal to unconventional audiences for Caribbean cinema. Usually films are made with idea of distribution in the United States of America, or Canada or other developed countries. However, his team has pursued distribution in Africa and Latin America, which hopefully a new market for the Caribbean as a whole. They have set a quite a standard for the filmmakers of the Caribbean and I hope their success increases with the production of more films.