Ghett' A Life (2011). ** /5. A step down from Better Mus' Come

This film set in Jamaica and financed by Jamaicans is a so-so film although its heart is in the right place. Well maybe too much of its heart is in the right place and this accounts for the poor execution of the dramatic elements. This film deals with the pertinent issue of garrison politics in Jamaica where the political parties create their own militia, within the communities they represent, to defend their constituencies and oust their opponents in order to secure votes which will ensure that a certain member of the party will be guaranteed a seat in the parliament (M.P). Caught in the midst of this turmoil is a youth named Derrick (Kevoy Barton) who is a member of a PNP/orange colour (People’s National Party) constituency in West Kingston (the reference to jungle implies the actual constituency of Arnett Gardens) who dares to dream by becoming a successful lightweight boxer who can unite the warring factions of the two political parties (the other party is the Jamaica Labour Party(JLP)/green colour /Shower ).The main issue here is that Derrick decides to train with the Bruisers gym which is filled with JLP supporters. His main conflict is that the don for the PNP area, Sin, will not tolerate this betrayal and will try and deter Derrick at any cost, even if it means his death, so that he will not box with the gym.

The film tries to make an important statement however it seems that the plot of the story was geared primarily for that message and so it seems more like a lengthy skit as opposed to a work of art. The message looms over the film from the start and so we discover nothing new about human nature since the message is antecedent to the climax in the film thereby making it seem like an unnecessary production since the Jamaican audience will be able to predict from start to finish. It seems that the investors wanted a predictable and safe story they knew Jamaicans would come to support in the cinemas. We know the message so well that we will come out and appreciate another lukewarm Jamaican production for there is absolutely nothing here that will shock us and make us question our conditioned reality. The message is that Jamaicans are one and not divided between the JLP and the PNP so we as Jamaicans should desist with the wanton killings so as to unite the people torn by strife in the inner city of Jamaica ( we have heard that a trillion times). The film is so optimistic that it is almost naïve at times and it feels as if you’re watching a government broadcast. The hogwash near the end solidifies my point that this is a sentimental mish mash. The sentimental current running through the film highlights the lack of risk taking which is a primary feature of the Jamaican landscape (safe profits) where we seem to be unable to make the tough decisions that will ensure some form of growth in the film industry. This film belongs to the investors more than Chris Browne (a bourgeois) who directed, produced and wrote the screenplay. The film is a safe bet and so one should not expect anything new from this latest project out of Jamaica. There is no doubt that some Jamaicans will love this film because it is set in Jamaica but it does not disguise the fact that it is a poor directing effort by Chris Browne. It reveals nothing new about life in Jamaica for the last film to do that was the documentary Rise Up (2008) which featured a new look at the Jamaican music industry from the perspective of the underground. It is surprising that Chris Browne took an entire year to write the screenplay which could have been written in two months and I suppose it was because he knows that a Jamaican film is released every five years or so. There is nothing in the film to suggest that the screenplay was the product of a year of intense individual effort (half of it was spent on the beach) for his take on garrison politics is skewed (since his bourgeois fellows are aligned with politics) and not as revealing as he hoped it would be because some element of risk taking was required for him to arrive at the startling truths about garrison politics in Jamaica (bad for business in Jamaica). The characters are all one dimensional and seem to revel in it knowing full well that this production will hit theatres and they will have their moment in the sun. The antecedent message looms overhead just like the poor effort last year by Storm Saulter, Better Mus’ Come (2010). It is true that as a fellow Jamaican I should support my fellows in their endeavours but for them to get better someone has to tell them what they’re doing is not enough. Better mus come, I hope.

What’s Good about this film?

Well it is good that this film was financed by Jamaicans however taking into account our poor form when it comes to output (once every five years) it requires more individual efforts such as this to attain some form of consistency and growth in the film industry. In this case the film was released one year after Better Mus’ Come (2010) however it remains to be seen whether or not this will enhance productivity and investment in the Jamaican film industry which will allow it to expand. This film does not have much inspiration to look to when seeking to develop a distinct Jamaican film form. The main highlight of Jamaican films is the backwardness of the productions and the lack of imagination. The Jamaican music industry is more vibrant because of the high levels of productivity in that sector however it is not so with Jamaican film which releases a film every five years or so. It is therefore understandable when Chris Browne is unable to overturn this tradition since he is striving for consistency with what is already known to be norm. Bad screenwriting, Bad acting and poor editing seem to be the standard all Jamaican filmmakers aspire to as well as the subject matter which is the Jamaican ghetto. This consistent focus on the Jamaican ghetto reveals bourgeois prejudice and naiveté for this class conveniently avoids their role in the corruption of Jamaican society in these films. Chris Browne therefore cannot be blamed for his skewed presentation and lack of focus.

One good element about this film is the presentation of the boxing underground although that element in itself is not fully developed. It is good for it is a welcome element when speaking about life in the inner society however because it is not developed the film misses a golden opportunity. The presentation of the tension between political parties is welcome although it is woefully underdeveloped here however the frustrations of young Derrick are apparent for it is understandable how political bias can affect the progress of some individuals in this and any society. His courage in the face of this adversity is admirable although futile when considering the overall conditioned reality.  Some of the best moments of the film occur when the extras are mouthing off in the background such as when an important individual on one side is shot a lady says afterwards that retaliation is necessary. Her calls for vengeance show that this political division has been ingrained in the Jamaican psyche through violence and intimidation and an ever present authoritarian  element.  Jamaicans will welcome yet another presentation of garrison politics.

The structure of garrison politics in Jamaica is explained through three characters: the corrupt politician on the PNP side, the caretaker, Lenny (Derrick’s weathered father) and the Don, Sin, who enforces his rule through violence.  The politician deals with the caretaker and the don who give him vital information about the happenings in the community and advice on how to handle pressing matters such as intrusion from JLP factions and how to raise funds. I chuckled when the M.P stated that he is giving the post of caretaker to Lenny after years of support; years of support not service. This is not the exact phrasing but look out for that scene where the M.P is unsure of how he will describe Lenny’s role in the party before handing him the position.  The role of the caretaker does not exist beyond the inner city it seems for it is assumed that Lenny has a job outside of his political duties although we are never told or shown. It is men like Lenny who adhere to the old principles of politics where it is a matter of service for your country over profit. He seems like a man prepared to sacrifice even his life for the cause although he will gain nothing and be forgotten by the wider society.  The Don does sacrifice for the cause however he grows rich on the spoils of so called taxation. The don, Sin (what a name to personify evil),  it seems, will soon be in complete control of the area without recourse to the politicians; naiveté creeps into Browne’s presentation where the character Sin is portrayed as a one dimensional blood hound. In my review of the godfather trilogy the situation with the character Sin is clearly a matter of illegitimacy vs. legitimacy. In the formation of any society defense by arms is inevitable especially as one side is able to command certain resources.  In the inner city it seems tribal however the main issue is that these warring factions are representative of larger organizations who also act tribal. This is not particular to Jamaica for one just has to turn on CNN and hear the debate between Democrats and Republicans in Congress to raise the debt ceiling. Democracy normally encourages tribalism and this is one of its inherent contradictions which it will never resolve unless aliens invade. The use of violence to garner votes is more representative of poor nations where taxation is the main source of wealth and the Government appears to be a bastion of non production i.e. everyone wants a piece of that government pie. When the poorer nations become more sophisticated the productive sector normally takes control and the politician is relegated since he is indebted to the productive sector which generates real wealth. The productive sector resorts to the use of lobby groups to ensure its control over particular sectors while at the same time congealing the tribal element through the more sophisticated means of pouring money into the government account. When the dons take to the so called illicit trades such as drugs it reaches a point where they become solely responsible for the communities in which they reside and not the politicians who normally just issue handouts. The dons will eventually leave the community and set up residence in the hills and take their place among the bourgeois class that resent them. The foundation of the bourgeois class in Jamaica is the plantation economy which was a source of excess exploitation of the majority black working/slave classes. They now make films telling us all to unite (Hogwash). They moved to the hills long ago. I appreciated this presentation of the three primary members: the politician, the caretaker and the don.

There was also some attempt at allegory with good vs. evil but the naïve approach eventually undermines its approach as the two are quiet distinct and there is no room for interpretation. The villain’s name is Sin, for instance, and just consider some of the lines with his name in it, ‘Yuh goin’ throw yuh life weh fah Sin’ (is there a pun here?) and ‘Don’t mek Sin beat yuh’. It is a good attempt but this allegory is tied in at inconvenient times and the film is not clear if it’s an allegory or a story based on real live events and this is due to a basic issue of inconsistency. For instance the news reports and interviews of personalities  that interview with Lennox is that a cable station?) make you believe that this is a current issue we must address however there are times when it is clearly symbolic due to Browne’s isolationist policy where the environment is closed and incomprehensible to the viewer. The ghetto could then be a metaphor for the evil of the character Sin and the determination of  Derrick’s strong heart.

Lastly, there were some good aerial shots of Jamaica in this film although we have seen these sorts of shots in other recent Jamaican films. I was also made aware that the cameras used were up to date with those being used in foreign however this was not evident to me in the film although this film is not as hazy as the colour palette in Better Mus’ Come. How could I forget that some of you Jamaicans will admire that it is a Jamaican production with familiar actors you know from the stage and on tv sitcoms. This will bring a smile to Jamaican audiences however it just shows how unfamiliar a locally financed film production in Jamaica really is. The soundtrack of the film was good featuring familiar songs from familiar musicians however it is predetermined just like the message of the film and so it is not surprising. Jamaicans know these songs well so it does not seem to emerge from the film’s own unique story. I recently heard a song with video released by Tanya Stephens which was said to be inspired by the film however it was not present in the film; I kept hearing only the familiar songs released years ago. ( As I said before it is risk free and so the investor feels safe with this familiarity). At least in Better Mus’ Come the original score was on display for all to hear although it was forgettable.  This was a missed opportunity for Browne.

What’s bad about this film?

My main issue with this film is the presence of the investors who seem to make it obvious that they are a part of the project. If you are a Jamaican and are aware of the economic climate it will hit you in the face like a good old fashioned box/slap. Two prominent investors featured in the film are CVM television and Claro (mobile phone company). The characters in the film seem to watch nothing but CVM news reports and at the final fight guess who is the main commentator; yes you guessed it, a member of the CVM sports team. How pathetic! When the final fight is aired look out for the Claro posters plastered everywhere and also you will see frequent appearances of Sakima Mullings as a silent ineffectual character; Sakima was part of a recently concluded boxing hit show, The Contender, which was sponsored by…yes… CLARO  (Jamaica’s biggest 3g network). Couldn’t they have disguised their sponsorship more effectively? I understand now why it took poor Browne so long to write the screenplay for he must have been wondering ‘how do I fit Claro and CVM into the story?’ It is amusing but sad at the same time however I am sure Better Mus’ Come (no pun intended). They could have done it like the studios abroad simply place their logos at the beginning of the film as a Claro/CVM sponsored event. This ironically highlights a clash of capitals on the Jamaican scene for a CVM sponsored event can never have Television jamaica (TVJ) on board and like wise a Claro sponsored event cannot have DIGICEL on board.  It is also my belief that this film was influenced by the investors so that most of the film’s credibility was undermined by the naiveté associated with bourgeois/humanitarian propaganda about oneness (Jamaicans for Justice will promote this film until death do us part).

I disliked the production on a whole. The screenplay had the necessary elements but jumbled them in such an incoherent manner that there is no artistic credibility as well as no sense of time and geography (space). The acting was poor and some of these actors seem so determined to portray an authentic Jamaican feel they never give you a sense that they’re acting. The speech patterns did not seem fluid on a consistent basis and I wondered if Browne ever consulted with some linguists. For instance, the coach at the bruising gym, Manuel, (Winston Bell) seems to have American traits and is absorbed into the naïve and simple minded narrative. The editing was poor and the film seemed to drag on with no end in sight while at the same time seeming to be rushed. There were shots that were edited that did not need to be  such as when there is an aerial shot of a bus travelling out to thecountry the editor cuts the shot of the bus driving and so you watch the bus disappear and reappear. This is terrible and abominable craftsmanship on the part of the editor Joel Burke who deserves an honorable mention. The bus should have been allowed to drive to give some sense of time although they were probably fearful of the restless Jamaican audience and were trying to play it safe. He also should have cut a scene where children were staring at the camera and were about to wave.

The allegorical element of the film stifled it because it was not as expressive as it could have been. Browne employs an isolationist policy where life is confined to the inner city. The news reports are the only elements representing the rest of Jamaica. There was therefore no sense of geography although Browne presents us with a map without showing us exactly where in live action. Even when there is a scene where they go out to the country Browne does not even condescend to state which parish the characters are in; they just start running and jumping as part of their training although they never again return to that place in the film.   The scenes in the garrison can be explained by Browne’s fear of exposing actual constituencies where this was filmed. The shot of downtown also gave no sense of the connection of the community with the inhabitants of the constituency.  I also had no sense of the economic activity in the garrison and Browne’s failure to highlight the influence of the drug trade was preposterous; to see Sin demand taxes is annoying and frivolous (taxes for what?). Better Mus’ Come did a better job in this regard.  The timeline was a mess (another fear of risk taking) for an election is coming up and we don’t know which year and we are to assume it is just an allegory however why no election since it is critical. There could at least have been an epilogue to highlight the continuity of garrison politics despite Derrick’s success. The intensity of the violence was also stifled by this lack of geography for there was hardly any mention of layout of the JLP territory. If Browne was going to use this isolationist policy he should watch Cidade de Deus (City of God ) and watch how the filmmakers highlighted the territory of each gang and made you understand where each gang was going when they were about to strike. If he was going to emphasize his isolationist policy he should have given some sense of genuine isolation felt by the community and develop a structure that would emphasize this isolation from the wider society.

The boxing element was poor in this film. I appreciated that the boxing element was highlighted but I was disappointed in the approach which , like the rest of the film , was incoherent. Firstly, the training is poorly executed as well as how the fights are arranged. They throw a ball around, jab and move in the gym, run on a beach and suddenly go to the country and run in the woods; now they are supposed to be fit and ready.  Derrick himself has no apparent weaknesses for he is perfect.  Are there only light weight challengers? Is Derrick really the only hope? He was defeated by Sakima Mullings early in the film yet it is never established if he could return the favour. The incoherence becomes apparent when Derrick suddenly becomes a lightweight contender by challenging someone in Harbour View. He gets ready in a week’s time which reflects the low boxing standard. He defeats the Harbour view contender who is supported by the PNP. IF the PNP was supporting boxers  why didn’t Derrick approach Sin (he wouldn’t do that Sin is evil and there must be a villain). When he does approach the PNP they ask him to throw a fight; why would they do that since none of the fighters are noteworthy. If Sin had sense he would back Derrick to tackle the bruising gym (but that could not happen since Derrick is needed on the other side). A fight is arranged with a Cuban yet there is no sense of how the fight was arranged or who this Cuban is. He is Cuban because Cubans are renowned internationally for their lightweight boxers and he fights a Jamaican in the form of Derrick so that people can start waving national flags. The event hardly seems national apart from the flags and shirts (poor execution) and CVM’s broad cast. By the way Derrick never did any training before his fight with the Cuban he must be a real champion. The staging of the fights themselves were poor for it is just inexperienced boxers throwing wild punches and there is no sense of strategy. The only strategy in the final fight with the Cuban for instance is: ‘You’re better than him Derrick.’ and he is motivated in the space of ten seconds when his father arrives.His father has good timing. It would have been good if they gave some synopsis of Jamaica’s decline as a boxing world power  since the 1980s although there is an underground movement keeping the sport alive. They should have focused on the boxing before talking about politics.

I detested the hokey sentimentality in the film for there is too much reconciliation in the film’s final act that is preposterous. A character that should have been killed is miraculously revived after an estimated 10 shots  to the body and one in the head (you will know who I am talking about). Long lost relatives are suddenly discovered and truths revealed. The film had too much heart and was not prepared to take risks ( a feature of investment policy in Jamaica) for in order to make people feel dramatically they must have some sense of loss. A lot should have been lost in this film however the characters are rescued by Browne’s naïve script and his frivolous calls for national unity. I would love to see the Americans adopt this approach although they are not so naive. He makes Derrick more determined than he should be and he gives in to too many tantrums; why? Because he wants to be like Lennox Lewis (who has Jamaican heritage. Yaaay) and the stupid politics won’t let him. I am awfully sorry Derrick but you’re a light weight and with that technique you display in the film you will never even be a contender for a world title. His mother is also naïve in this film and I am sure this was due to the director’s naiveté as well especially as you bear witness to her fate.  Also Sin as a character is a mere caricature of evil with no sense of history; he is just there to look terrifying and what is that scar on his face supposed to mean; is he scar face?

I wish they fleshed out more the role of the politicians who only smile a lot in this film with no sense of purpose.  Again this is a fear of risk taking since politicians align themselves with the bourgeois class so there was no courage to present some form of the actual politicians in action although this could be done by simply changing names. Jamaicans are yet to see the politicians doing something that has a percolating effect on the society. Just like Better Mus' Come they come to the garrison and talk and smile (don't forget the smile) and leave.

Conclusion

I was disappointed with this film and it is a step down from Better Mus’ Come. This is due to it’s incoherence. The investors have taken away artistic credibility. The international standard for film is so high that Jamaica has to step up if its film industry is to be taken seriously.