City Of God Haitian style: Asger Leth's dark and moody film takes us on a disturbing journey into the heart of Port-au-Prince's most notorious slum Cité Soleil, "the most dangerous place in the world," according to the United Nations. There brothers 2Pac and Bily lead the Chimerès ('Ghosts'), a ragtag group of street kids-turned-gangsters who become involved in the downfall of President Aristide after rebel forces stage a coup d'état.
There's no doubting Leth's incredible access to this little-seen world. Shooting in the hidden slums of Port-au-Prince, he pulls off an astonishing, daredevil feat of guerrilla filmmaking. It's a truly dangerous undertaking; Haiti may only be two hours from Miami, but entry into its poverty-stricken, lawless slums is like stepping into hell.
This is a world where gangster rap breeds swaggering machismo, where people can't write their name but know how to murder. Quite how the European crew escaped unscathed deserves a documentary all its own. Their footage - shot in edgy 16mm and video - makes the most of their unique access, crackling with the adrenaline and paranoia of high threat level living.
Following 2Pac and Bily as they eke out an existence in the slums, Ghosts Of Cité Soleil offers a fascinating glimpse of contemporary Haiti. Liberated from white colonial rule in 1804, the island became the first 'black republic'; two hundred years later, a combination of foreign interference and corrupt political leadership has dragged the island into chaos and poverty. As Ghosts progresses, Leth charts the brothers' relationship with French aid worker Lele, their rivalries with one another and their role as political pawns in Haiti's bottom up power struggle as Aristide is forced from office.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479046/
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