Ghosts of Cité Soleil (2006) User Reviews

Not your average documentary

[Robert_Woodward · 8/10 · 12 April 2008]

Asger Leth offers a rare glimpse into the world of Haiti's largest slum through through his remarkable recorded encounters with the Chimeres ('ghosts'), a loose organisation of gangs supporting President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Among the Ghosts of Cite Soleil are two brothers, Bily and 2Pac, whose changing perspectives and fortunes are documented alongside Aristide's downfall in the face of an armed rebellion. Bily, 2Pac and their fellow gang-members patrol the streets of Cite Soleil to a soundtrack of rap music, fraternising one moment and racketeering the next; there are guns everywhere and the peace is never more than tenuous. Leth's own camera-work, itself shorn of commentary, is interspersed with newsreel footage of Aristide's worsening fortunes to provide a lucid backdrop to the unfolding drama on the street.

Leth attained remarkable access when recording this film; we see 2Pac showering naked on two occasions and are witness to his startling and intimate affair with Lele, a French aid worker. Yet Leth does not reveal how this access is attained – he chooses not to show the seams of his documentary style and this leaves many important questions unanswered. Due to editing we do not hear Leth's voice, whether he is speaking to one of the Chimeres or to an expert on Haitian affairs. The lack of a 'presenter' – which contrasts with TV documentary series such as Unreported World – means that the subjects speak directly to us and not through a translator, but at the same time we are left with little clue of the questions that are being put across by the film-maker.

In the absence of a presenter or commentator the camera takes on a greater role in interviewing people. In the presence of the camera, 2Pac and Bily are often full of bluster about their status in Cite Soleil. Such scenes are revealing about the self-image and social interaction in Cite Soleil but they draw the film away from the more detached style of observation employed by many documentaries. This is a film closely centred on Bily and 2Pac and those viewers expecting a lucid account of life in a Haitian slum will be disappointed. Ghosts of Cite Soleil nevertheless succeeds as a unique and compelling portrait of gang life in Haiti.

a depressing but riveting documentary

[Buddy-51 · 8/10 · 28 June 2009]

According to the U.N., the most dangerous place on earth is a slum in Port-au-Prince, Haiti known as Cite Soleil, an area of unimaginable poverty ruled over by armed gangs dubbed by the locals "Chimeres," which, loosely translated, means "ghosts." For the most part, these Chimeres have been active supporters of the Aristide government, which, in turn, has often paid them to intimidate and do violence against anyone who might have the temerity to dissent from the official party line (though the government has long denied doing so).

The documentary "Ghosts of Cite Soleil" focuses on two brothers - one who goes by the name Haitian 2Pac and the other Bily - who, at the time the movie was filmed, made up two of the five major chieftains who ruled the area. 2Pac, who describes himself on camera as a gangster/rapper and as "pure Mafia," nevertheless sees himself as a defender of the downtrodden who have been largely abandoned by the higher-ups and powerbrokers in his country. Thus, his devotion to the Aristide government is seen as tenuous and conditional at best. His younger brother, Bily, however, would appear to have political aspirations of his own, so he is more overtly loyal to the corrupt leader.

The movie was shot mainly in February 2004, which, as fortune would have it, was also the precise moment when Aristide was forcibly removed from office by groups of armed rebels, many of them former soldiers of the army that Aristide himself had earlier disbanded. Thus, the latter portion of the movie takes place in the not-much-more-stable post-Aristide era.

It's hard to imagine a more despairing film than "Ghosts of Cite Soleil," as even 2Pac himself states right up front that in this impoverished hellhole "you never live long, you always die young." Given such an assessment, is there even the faintest glimmer of hope to brighten the lives of the people who live there? Well, there's Lele, a compassionate French relief worker who devotes her life to providing medical assistance and emotional comfort to these citizens trapped in unremitting poverty and endless cycles of violence - and even helps to broker peace among some of the rival chieftains at a crucial moment. But that moment is an ephemeral and fleeting one, as the status quo of violence, hopelessness and mutual distrust is quickly reestablished there once the crisis is over.

If the movie makes one thing clear, it is that the situation in Haiti is hopelessly complex and entangled, with acts of violence coming from all sides in the daily struggle for survival and in the endless jockeying for power that takes place there. Even the brothers can't figure out if they're really allies or enemies of one another. And always, always, grinding the people down and preventing them from making a better life for themselves, there is the poverty - the debilitating, soul-crushing and inexorable poverty that rules their lives.

Congratulations to director Asger Leth and cameramen Milos Loncarevic and Frederick Jacobi for their personal courage in being willing to thrust themselves into a situation so fraught with volatility and danger. For there is rarely a moment in the movie when guns are not cocked and at the ready - and tempers not flaring. In fact, there are times when you have to remind yourself that what you're watching is not a staged docudrama but a real-time documentary - so close do the filmmakers get to actual violence.

This is definitely a must-see documentary - but prepare yourself for heartbreak.

Makes its points - but in a very strange way.

[Pingo-2 · 7/10 · 13 November 2007]

GHOSTS OF CITÉ SOLEIL is a very good documentary if you consider what the director/filmmakers actually achieved here, how the film is edited, the flow and all the dangers that had has to been put in.

However, I do NOT agree with the films paths. Somehow, the filmmakers make the gang-leader 2Pac out as a "good guy". Especially the end scenes are very heavy on him as a victim. I do not agree with this at all, and quite frankly, I don't think many will.

Haiti is a very complex place to make a documentary about in the first place. Then taking it a step further to create a film about gang leaders in the most dangerous place in the world - that's strong.

But as the girl Lele, the filmmakers are fooled and duped by the subjects they're covering. Lele, who is a help worker from France, falls in love with the gang leader 2Pac - how did this happen? Where are here ethics? What organization did she work for that actually allow that kind of conduct? For me, the people depicted in this movie are truly scary human beings. But they made a choice to actually wave these guns around, to kill each other. They made a choice to accept money to kill demonstrators at the election rallies. These choices shouldn't be looked lightly upon - and to therefor show the gang leaders as victims is wrong.

Sure, these people are humans beings too. But these gang leaders doesn't help the people in Cité Soleil to get out of their problems. Instead, they create the problems.

But as I said in the beginning of this review: the film itself makes its points clear, and what we have here is very good film making. However, I can't agree with the documentary's points of views, but that's another thing...

7/10 because of a very well put together film. 1/10 if you rate the subject and script alone.

If you have lived this type of life you will recognize the veracity of it

[mdbento · 19 November 2007]

It is simple--this is a story of of gang warfare. There is no truth--there is no right--there is no way out. It will only end when one side is wiped out. I commend the makers of this film on their documentation of the voices of all involved and this film should be viewed by everyone who is concerned about violence that springs up in the midst of poverty. It is not without reason--these people have a need for respect, they have family, they want the same things that every human wants/desires--if you don't care ... what do you expect. This is not only a film about Haiti, but about any environment in the world that faces the extremes that these people face...

Enlightening doc about gangs in Haiti

[jordondave-28085 · 7/10 · 15 July 2023]

(2006) Ghosts Of Cite Soleil (Haitian with English subtitles) DOCUMENTARY

Co-cinematography, written and co-directed by Asger Leth, with mildly interesting documentary centering on the gangs that exist around an impoverished part of Haiti called Cite Soleil and are over run by gangs one of them called the Chiméres once hired by the dictator of Haiti by the name of President Aristide. The documentary centers on the leader of the Chimera gang who calls himself 2Pac after an American rapper/ hip hop artist since he's a huge fan of his music and want to be as successful as him some day who often collides with his brother Bily in terms of turf and ownership and eventually gets involved with a French UN nurse which doesn't go anywhere. The film contains a lot of jabbering and macho talk but that's what impoverished gangs do and because it's deemed as a dangerous place to live, the film makers tend to avoid getting themselves into trouble and asked questions instead of picking sides. Definitely not for everybody.

a bit rough but compelling gritty doc

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 17 September 2015]

It's 2004 in the slum of Cité Soleil, Haiti. 2Pac and Bily are brothers and two of the leaders of the Chiméres, loyal violent young gang supporters of President Aristide. Lele is a French aid worker. Billy likes Lele but she gets involved with 2Pac. As opposition forces rise up to take on Aristide, the brothers clash over loyalties and the mounting pressures. Eventually Aristide is overthrown and the brothers are hunted by the new government.

This documentary is a bit rough and muddy. It has the gritty streets of Cité Soleil. It has great access to these guys and brings the camera right into this disturbing world. Some parts of this documentary seems to be random which leaves me questioning if any of this is manufactured. It's always tough to figure out whether 2Pac is sincere or simply full of bravado. The movie needs to dig a little deeper into the brothers. It may not be possible but it would be great for the brothers to have a heart to heart without the machismo. It also needs a narration or a presenter to clarify the situation in their lives and their feelings. For example, 2Pac was arrested by Aristide's men but the movie doesn't really explain what happened.

Proof of the existence of the chimeres - renegade army - Aristides secret army

[km-72 · 9/10 · 10 November 2006]

DOCUMENTARY - Taking an incredible risk Asger Leth documents the existence of the secret army, known as 'the chimeres', in the Haitian capital sub-slum, Cite Soleil - according to the UN the most dangerous place on earth.

Former President Aristide has denied the existence of this government funded secret army, that spread terror in the ghettos of Port-au-Prince.

Director Asger Leth succeeds absolutely in showing the total neglect by former president Aristide and also the complete misunderstanding of the situation by the American armed forces (or political leaders). And - mind you - Asger Leth succeeds without being political or biased by anyone or anything. This is journalistic documentary when it's best. At the same time some of the emotional-tools of film-making integrates smoothly within the faint storyline.

That's the strength - and in some way also the small flaw. The storyline is simply too wage to manifest totally because the violence and roughness is so massive - that's why the 9 of 10 stars.

It's a minor detail in the overall picture. A perception that 'Ghosts of Cite Soleil' is both a masterpiece and a necessity. It's a mindblowing insight in a horrifying world only 1 1/2 hours flight from Miami(US).

And finally it's a sensitive emotional portrait of a group of peace-seeking youngsters with dreams, loves, losses and unbearable grief. No parents (they're shot dead), a few remaining friends (about to be shot dead) no schools, no jobs, no money, no future... All they have is this almost irrational faint hope, some cheap guns and a overwhelming struggle to survive.

A tough but emotional and very well made documentary by Asger.

A candle in chaos! Thanks mate :-)

A documentary that actually lets the people tell the story

[sapientsue · 9/10 · 17 August 2007]

I saw this tonight (8/17/07)at Facets in Chicago and was handed propaganda by American people who are apparently jumping on another cause that blames America for everything. This film did not appear to have an agenda at all to me. I actually was wishing it had a little more of one because I kept getting confused about who was good and who was bad. There is a reason I was confused, because they didn't portray anyone as completely good or bad. The place seems a mess.

The people handing me the papers definitely had an agenda just like some of the reviewers on here. In fact one of the papers I got has word for word the same thing as one of the reviewers. People yell out racist and compare the director to Leni Riffenstahl and we are supposed to think it's the film is biased??? The propaganda against the film is what seems to be blatantly biased. It is unquestionably pro Aristide.

I don't understand how anyone can call this film racist. That seems to be a typical ploy to get people emotional and disregard any facts. I didn't see any of the Hatian people as evil thugs, I saw them as victims and survivors used and manipulated by corrupt governments.

This film maker did not appear to be for deposing Aristide at all. I got the impression that both leaders were corrupt which is most likely the case. It definitely looked like the new government had the brothers killed unjustly. The brothers were not shown as completely good or bad either. We see their deplorable living conditions and their bones prominent on their scrawny bodies as they showered and know that they are desperate.

I think this film maker did an excellent job because no one came out blameless. Some reviewers on here want you to believe that Aristide was blameless and that the gangsters were made up, despite actual footage of gangsters attacking demonstrators. Even if Aristide didn't order it, he should have at least gone after the gangs.

Leni Riefenstahl goes to Haiti

[laborsoul · 1/10 · 11 May 2007]

When is the last time you saw a documentary with a soft-core love scene? The Ghosts of Cite Soleil makes this, with French "relief worker" Lele — working in an AIDS prevention program. Meanwhile, at the end of the feature, we find out that Bily's wife is HIV positive.

The director is Danish, not German, but The Ghosts of Cite Soleil makes heroes of the made- in-Washington leaders of Haiti's 2004 coup in a manner reminiscent of Leni Riefenstahl's adoration for Adolf Hitler in her famous film from the 1930's, Triumph of the Will. It builds a web of lies - lies of omission and lies of commission - into the "Big Lie" - a stylized, decontextualized, post-modern, sexy/violent piece of propaganda disguised as a documentary, full of guns but signifying nothing.

The Ghosts of Cite Soleil claims to reveal the intimate personal lives of two gangsters who are brothers, Bily and 2Pac, in the deprived Cite Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. When introducing them to several foreign journalists, filmmaker Kevin Pina (Harvest of Hope, Haiti: We Must Kill the Bandits) made the following comment, "Billy and I had a falling out over the question of his accepting money from foreign journalists to hype this question of Aristide and gangsters. The more they paid the more outlandish became his claims . . ."

The director, Asger Leth, would have us believe the majority of people of Cite Soleil don't support President Aristide, and that those who do are forced to do so by armed gangsters. He ignores the fact that massive pro-Aristide demonstrations have taken place in Cite Soliel repeatedly since the coup. In one scene, a Cite Soleil crowd shouts, "Five full years, Five full years." Leth translates, but does not explain the significance - the people want Aristide back to finish his full five-year term.

The film doesn't tell us that "Opposition leaders" Andy Apaid and Charles Henry Baker are also sweatshop owners who hate Aristide because he wanted to raise the minimum wage and make them pay taxes, which the rich don't do in Haiti.

We're told President Aristide left voluntarily - no mention of his kidnapping by the U.S. military and his ongoing banishment from the continent. We see jubilant crowds of Aristide opponents waving as the coup makers drive into town, giving the impression most Haitians supported the coup. We don't see the U.S./French/Canadian soldiers guarding the route and making the entrance possible. We don't learn that Port-au-Prince was totally defended the day of Aristide's kidnapping, and the coup leaders would never have been able to take it over militarily. Instead Uncle Sam came to the rescue.

We're not told that Louis Jodel Chamblain worked with the Duvalier dictatorship's brutal militia, the Tonton Macoutes, in the 1980s; that following a military coup against Aristide in 1991, he was the "operations guy" for the FRAPH paramilitary death squad, accused of murdering uncounted numbers of Aristide supporters and introducing gang rape into Haiti as a military weapon.

We're not told that Guy Phillipe is a former Haitian police chief who was trained by US Special Forces in Ecuador in the early 1990s, or that the U.S. embassy admitted that Phillipe was involved in the transhipment of narcotics, one of the key sources of funds for paramilitary attacks on the poor in Haiti. He says the man he most admires is former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Leth portrays both of these men as credible spokespersons, not gangsters.

Where did the weapons of the coup-makers come from? Who organized and trained them? Who spent tens of millions of dollars to create an "opposition movement" in Haiti? The United States is the real ghost in this film - it simply does not exist, except for its official version of events, scripted by George W. Bush, which The Ghosts of Cite Soleil follows scrupulously.

The Ghosts of Cite Soleil plays like a manipulative music video, featuring music by Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean, also the executive producer, who supported the coup and pushed the State Department line among the conscious hip-hop community and progressive celebrities in Hollywood. This contrasts to the principled stand of Danny Glover, Ruby Dee and her late, great husband Ossie Davis. You can almost hear the violins behind Chamblain, as he talks about his return to Haiti, but the music becomes dissonant and menacing behind Aristide or behind 2Pac and Bily, who speak English no less, but we never learn why. Like we never learn who, or why about anything in this movie, a piece of soft core propaganda, cleverly, consciously, and seductively made. It's being distributed by Sony, and may someday show at a theatre near you. People get ready, the Ghosts are coming.

by Charlie Hinton

Another Joyous Musical Romp

[Seamus2829 · 9/10 · 22 July 2007]

Despite a few rather dour write up's on this site, I admired 'Ghosts Of Citi Soleil'. If anybody followed the news in Haiti a few years ago, it's dictator, Aristade was deposed, leaving the country in a state of chaos. This "cinema verite" documentary concerns two brothers on opposite sides of the whole ugly scene (one, pro Aristade,the other, con). Both brothers are involved in vicious street gangs, although there is still a sense of brotherly love between the two, despite the odds. The film documents a warts & all approach to the whole gang problem that makes daily life a misery in the ghetto where it all takes place (it's very gritty, complete with a firecracker string of f-bombs, gun violence & general ugliness). The great Wyclef Jean not only composed the incidental score to the film, but also has some on screen time, as well (for those who have been living in a cave for the last ten or more years now, Jean is a musician,producer,arranger, and former member of the Fugees). If I have any quirks about this film, it's sometime hard to pin a bead on the film's camera work (the hand held camera work does tend at times to shake around a little too much). Apart from that,for anybody who has an iron clad will (and doesn't get too offended by rough language), Ghosts Of Citi Soleil is a grim, but interesting window into another culture,generally ignored by America.

Raises far more questions than it answers.

[SimonHeide · 4/10 · 27 September 2007]

Watching this movie I felt immensely curious on several accounts but found to my disappointment, that the film-makes apparently didn't share this curiosity or had decided for some unknown reasons not to try and give any answers. This film is made in a very uninvolved way. By this i mean that the protagonist is not asked a single question during the whole film (so it seems) and therefore it is entirely up to their own insight and level of reflection what we are told about life as they experience it. We understand that 2pac and Bily live under an immense pressure and that "death" plays a very big part in their lives.

But we don't know much about their connection to Aristide (we are told at a certain point that they protect him) and what their assignment really is and if there were any moral dilemmas accordingly. We sort of follow them around in their car with their guns and hip hop music on the stereo talking to people hanging around in the slum of cite de soleil.

The movie is told in a fast and confusing pace and this gave me a feeling of being left out. 2pac surely has a charming personality but it was still very difficult to empathize with him or any other character that was portrayed.

/Simon

A piece of art!

[Saschat · 10/10 · 27 May 2007]

The little glimpses shown by the news broadcasts, can't give us much more than a taste of what is taking place in the world.... Ghosts of cite' soleil is allowing us to participate in a story going way beyond the usual glimpse, feel it when it is the most rotten, and is making us understand the background of certain actions taking place - politically, socially and mentally. It is showing us, what can't be read in any books, and is allowing us to feel what can usually be felt when actually being present, experiencing in real life! For those who wants entertainment and nothing but that, don't even bother! But for anymore with an interest in different aspects of life, with an interrest in history, in reality - don't miss it for the world -This is a great documentary! Sascha, Copenhagen, Denmark.

As real as it can ever get

[davischenay · 10/10 · 4 September 2007]

This is the realest piece of film I have ever watched. There's no glamour or icing over. You should watch this is you are fed up with the happy-ever-after, superhero and any other artificial stuff from Hollywood. Haiti's just a 2 hour flight from Miami,Florida and yet not much has been done to really help. How ironic it is that the US decides to send tens of thousands of troops halfway across the world to Iraq and Afghanistan to chase after ghosts hiding in a few hills when the real spooky and tangible evidence is right on the American doorstep. I commend the film makers' negotiating skills that enabled them to get face to face with the Chimeres chiefs. No acting here, this is real stuff, 100% authentic stuff.

Wyclef Endorsed Gangster Propaganda

[wobbles303 · 1/10 · 14 November 2011]

The Chiefs 2pac and Bily where bad men and this film just seems like propaganda for their cause. God knows how many kids are watching this and thinking its the right thing to go out and arm yourself to the teeth with M-14s and machete's. Bily is the lesser of the two evils though and does come across to be trying to do some good. The "aid worker" needs her head checked and is lucky shes still alive especially after being brazen enough to tell Bily to his face that she's humping his brother. It seems like shes forgot she's hanging out with the leaders of this violent gang and that the two brothers are borderline at war with each other already. Her sleeping around could've seen a lot of people killed... Wyclef also seems too happy to be backing these gangsters up which just shows ignorance. Why should these guys get to tell their story when they have probably overseen the murders of many people who never will get the chance to tell their sad tales. Does Wyclef see that or even care? I was going to give it 1 but it actually tells some of the grim story so I settled on 3.

gangstas rising above their idols

[sunesilk · 9/10 · 28 January 2012]

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.

War on the underprivileged in Haiti

[mclaurent · 1/10 · 4 July 2007]

Any compensation for the victims of this Blaxploitation redux? Both Tupac and Billy where eventually tortured, murdered, or "disappeared" by the US/UN 2004 coup d'etat forces. The "aid worker" Lele is a sexual predator who bedded both of these men... any investigation of her underway for her failure to fulfill her mission by the "aid" agency responsible for unleashing her on these young men? What was or is her HIV status? koliya-k from occupied Turtle Island is right on the money with his comment "to the global majority, the lies and propaganda will be familiar." In the U.S. the "dumbed down" populace will buy it, and this is sad, because the same methods used to keep Haiti poor and underdeveloped is the model that is eventually replicated elsewhere in the world, particularly in the global South. The problem becomes that this unscrupulous few who have all the power and money cannot keep a lid on their greed. Their corrupt agenda is visited on the U.S. populace as well.

Ridiculous piece of trash

[36thshaolin · 3/10 · 12 September 2008]

The movie tries hard to convey some sort of political or social message, but it utterly fails. Instead it just shows some gun-slinging thugs with ridiculous names like "2Pac" or "50 Cent" smoking weed, shooting each other in the foot, or calling their homie Wyclef Jean. A plot is virtually absent. The political developments in Haiti are shown every once in a while by using TV footage, but there is only a very loose connection between this background material and the leading characters, so the viewer soon loses interest. The brutish and violent life of the ghetto-dwellers is exactly the opposite of politics: pure anarchy.

Well shot Mockumentary

[bruce_files_3 · 4/10 · 17 August 2007]

The way I see it, there is nothing wrong with having a certain point of view when shooting a documentary...I recognize the right of the director to have his/her own perception on the the events that pass before his/her camera or all the reasons...

The same way, the viewer can judge a documentary, as an artistic expression of reality, as a comment on events/people or just as "history on film".

"Ghosts of Cité Soleil" is a perfect example for all the above. Thats why you can either love or hate it. I am sure no-one will see this and just be "ok" about it. And not because of the reality (?) it presents, but cause of the point of view, and on top of it, the characters in it.

Its a piece of art no doubt, but it seemed like a mockumentary with real blood and real pain, cause the main characters are used as marionettes. And yes, those people are puppets the way they are used by the authorities of all kinds, but I would prefer if the director tried to record that, to just showing us a PLAY of his own.

Its almost a shame.

offensive and racist

[koliya-k · 1/10 · 5 June 2007]

this is probably one of the most offensive and racist movies i've seen in a long time. it's very sad that the film-makers have gotten such accolades for such an opportunistic and sensationalist piece of crass propaganda. instead of actually addressing why young men are forced to take up arms to defend their neighborhoods under a brutal paramilitary/UN assault, the movie looks to degrade and demonize the haitian poor. i'm sure it'll play well to racist audiences in the western 'democracies' happy to crush anyones aspirations for self-determination. but to the global majority, the lies and propaganda will be familiar. much better movies include "aristide and the endless revolution" and (although older) "bitter cane"... what we know for a fact, that since aristide was overthrown 10,000 Haitians have been killed by the UN/paramilitaries and 40,000 women raped in Port-au-Prince alone (according to a recently published study in the Lancet).. who knows how many more have died in Cap Haitien, Gonaives, etc. sadly this film only serves to add fuel to the classist and racist demonization campaign against the haitian people waged by imperialists and the creolized haitian business elites (the actual gangsters in the real drama gripping haiti!)..