The first things you think of when you hear Saint Lucia are probably pristine beaches and tropical paradise. Tourism is the #1 industry in this small island nation of approximately 200,000 people – a population smaller than any of the largest 100 cities in the U.S. Despite it’s small size, Saint Lucia has attracted Hollywood productions in the past (see Superman II and Doctor Doolittle). However, as with many similarly sized island nations, Saint Lucia has yet to form its own film industry.
What you can find, are smaller, self-financed film projects like the three short films we’ve uncovered below, each spanning a different genre. The production quality might not match what you’re used to, but they each give a brief glimpse of a Saint Lucia that differs from the country presented by Hollywood and travel guides.
Soucouyant
It helps if you’re a fan of horror films before you watch Soucuoyant. There’s so little to grasp from the limited dialogue and film shots stitched together that you will need to use your own imagination to connect the thin story.
The short is centered around the myth of the Soucouyant, an ancient vampire-like spirit that possesses her unfortunate victims to keep on living. She’s brought to life in blurry shots of her roaming through the jungle to convey her eeriness. In contrast, her aging male victim is in a bright urban area, hinting he’s normal. The footage of these two characters don’t quite fit together to tell a clear story, however, the juxtaposition of the two leads us to assume that this aging man is her target. The short staggers to a final ‘aha’ moment which obviously inspired the recent Smile Hollywood horror hit.
Too Late
Too Late features two friends that set a time to meet up early the next morning. One of them is skeptical of his friends ability to arrive on time, and sure enough, he’s on a completely different schedule to his friend. Cutting between one friend waiting at the cafe and the other silencing his alarms and taking his sweet time getting ready, hours pass and our punctual friend gives up.
Too Late is everything you might expect of an amateur film that makes fun of ‘island time.’ The joke is amusing, but it’s not pushed beyond the single scene, making this short film a bit one-note. The biggest weakness, however, is the poor sound quality which distracts viewers from fully engaging in the visual gags.
The Fruit of Life
In The Fruit of Life, multiple generations of a Saint Lucian community are connected through their knowledge of the multiple uses of the coconut. We’re shown how coconuts (the fruit of life) can heal and nourish everyone.
Like Soucouyant, The Fruit of Life jumps between different characters quickly and without much dialogue, making it difficult for us to follow the knotted narrative thread which links them. It jumps from a girl having her bruise tended to by her grandmother with coconut oil to images of a old man (her grandfather?) hunted by a group of men with machetes. The words “strength,” “wisdom,” and “perseverance” link these scenes to the future in which the same girl is leading a business pitch selling the humble benefits of the coconut to the government/corporation(?). It’s a wild leap from kids playing to trauma to a business sales pitch, but one that represents that you can achieve the Saint Lucian dream (and success) through perseverance and sharing your ancient wisdom.
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