"Kidnapping Inc.": a different look at Haiti

Rolaphton Mercure (left) and Jasmuel Andri (right) co-star in "Kidnapping Inc." Jasmuel Andri also co-wrote the screenplay with Bruno Mourral. (Photo: courtesy)

Peyi a pa bon! Things are bad in the country and insecurity prevails, yet one filmmaker is promoting a film that exposes Haiti's woes with a healthy dose of comedy. From Sundance to Cinestar to the Montreal International Black Film Festival (FIFBM), Bruno Mourral's Kidnapping Inc. draws acclaim and bafflement with its blend of drama, black comedy, and action.

That's because Kidnapping Inc. doesn't limit itself. Yes, the film deals with serious issues such as gun violence, corruption, class divisions and colorism. But this French-Canadian-Haitian production doesn't lapse into poverty porn. It doesn't use images of revolting misery or melodramatic music to pity these poor Haitians. Instead, it unabashedly blends the seriousness of its subjects with dark humor, thanks to committed performances, "tasty" dialogue - as it was described at the IFBM in September - and exhilarating action scenes.

"Some people were surprised in a good way, and others were a little, shall we say, lost in this genre film," observes the man who directed, co-scripted, edited and co-produced his first feature.

"And that," he adds, "will be the opinion generally found of critics who know nothing about Haiti, or the Caribbean, or a society that is so different from their own and who can't understand this kind of society, since it's so dysfunctional that it's almost total gag for them."

Bruno Mourral on his film Kidnapping Inc.

 Tragedies

Kidnapping Inc. draws its origins in human tragedy, but also in a typically Haitian way of coping with it.

"In Haiti, we have a way of moving quickly towards derision, of telling our problems through humor in fact, and I think it's a way for us to lighten our burdens because given that we live in a complicated situation every day, our only way of getting through it all is to lighten the situation by laughing a little," explains the Kapwa filmmaker (originally from Cap-Haïtien).

Cast includes Patrick Joseph and Gessica Généus, shown here, but also Anabel Lopez, Manfred Marcelin, and Ashley Laraque, with cameos from personalities such as Evens "Atys Panch" Atys, Caelle Edmond, Cantave K.

According to Mourral, the idea for the film came to him after his father was murdered in 2005. Back home for the funeral, Mourral, who was studying cinema in France at the time, wanted to talk about insecurity and the kidnapping phenomenon. He interviewed people who had been victims. "Most of these people told their stories with a sense of humor, and very often we'd both found ourselves a little uncomfortable, laughing at a situation that was so absurd that, in Haiti, I've seen so many situations where you say to yourself, even if you put this in a film, people would tell you it's exaggerated."

Tragedy and dysfunction have plagued the movie's production. There was the kidnapping of three film crew members in 2021, Haiti's destabilization following President Jovenel Moise's assassination, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 murder of cast member Ralphe "Sexi" Théodore. Despite these difficulties, Mr. Mourral pushed on with his project, which was of great importance to him.

"It's important for me to talk about Haiti. It's a way of presenting Haitian culture, music, gastronomy and landscapes that we don't often see in the cinema. It's also a way for me to talk about a country that's in trouble, a society that I criticize in the film, which for me is dysfunctional, and a way of asking questions, discussing the country and seeing the choices made by certain parts of our society, different social classes and its consequences. So there you have it, it's a bit of an X-ray of Haiti."

Beyond face value

With its mix of genres and crude imagery and dialogue, the film has been getting a mixed reaction. Take, for example, its use of the word neg, assimilated to the "n-word" in French, but more akin to "man" or "guy" in Haitian Creole. Or its use of the word mulat, whose French counterpart is seen as offensive, but which is commonly used in Haiti. When taking them at face value, critics miss the bigger picture denounced in the film, such as the instrumentalization of colorism for political means, the filmmaker laments.

"Some people won't be able to understand that, and that's why we get criticism. Of course, the film also has its faults, it's not perfect [...], I'm just saying that I have a problem with certain critics who know nothing about this kind of society or this country and who will criticize the film on that. They can criticize everything else, but if I'm open sometimes, I take this a bit hard," Mourral explains.

In theaters since October 11 in the French West Indies, Kidnapping Inc. is scheduled for release in February 2025 in Canada and the United States. Distribution rights have also been acquired in Latin America, Asia and Europe, announces Mr. Mourral.