Ghosts of Cité Soleil (2006)

In the slum of Cité Soleil, President Aristide's most loyal supporters were ruling as kings. The five major gang leaders were controlling heavily armed young men; the Chiméres. The Secret ... See full summary »

Directors:

Asger Leth, Milos Loncarevic (co-director)

Writer:

Asger Leth

Stars:

Winson '2Pac' Jean, Wyclef Jean, James 'Bily' Petit Frère

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Winson '2Pac' Jean	...	Himself
Wyclef Jean	...	Himself
James 'Bily' Petit Frère	...	Himself
Éleonore 'Lele' Senlis	...	Herself

Storyline

In the slum of Cité Soleil, President Aristide's most loyal supporters were ruling as kings. The five major gang leaders were controlling heavily armed young men; the Chiméres. The Secret army of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. "Ghosts of Cité Soleil" is a film about Billy and Haitian 2pac. Two brothers. Gang Leaders of the Chiméres.

---

Plot Keywords:

gang | politics | gangster | brother brother relationship | violence | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Action | Drama | Music | Romance | War

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Denmark USA

Language:

Haitian English French

Release Date:

3 May 2007 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Fantasmas de Cité Soleil

Filming Locations:

Haiti

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,100, 1 July 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$48,752, 9 September 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

Independent Pictures (II), Nordisk Film, Sak Pasé Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Smagsdommerne: Episode #5.14 (2007)

User Reviews

gangstas rising above their idols

Its a couple of years since I saw this docuflick, so what you get here is the essence that stuck in my memory.

The two brothers and main characters are living idolizing a gangsta lifestyle and are far more gangstas than the celebrity gangstas that they idolize. These are the real gangstas from real life Partly by choice but even more by need of survival, their fascination with with the celebrity gangstas most of all represent the dream of surviving their present situation (with success). The potentially lethal and ever present tension with their surrounding environment and each other, is something that I have never seen like this in a documentary. they seem to have no choice but aggression. As a viewer you get the feeling that any sign of weakness shown by the main characters will bring them closer to death but so will their aggressiveness. This film made the African child soldier "Johnny Mad Dog" much more realistic for me.

This movie is not without flaws, but portraying it as a movie with a political agenda is a mistake. Its a movie about desperate people interacting in a poor, violent and desperate environment. The frame of the story happens to be Aristides Haiti but it could have been a lot of places.

The 9-star rating is due to the very close and personal relationship between the camera and the characters and the danger that the makers of this movie has exposed themselves to.