Fantasmas de Cité Soleil

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.