SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
Grimerlana
Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike
Alistair Olson
After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
SnoopyStyle
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.
wobbles303
The Chiefs 2pac and Bily where bad men and this film just seems like propaganda for their cause. God knows how many kids are watching this and thinking its the right thing to go out and arm yourself to the teeth with M-14s and machete's. Bily is the lesser of the two evils though and does come across to be trying to do some good. The "aid worker" needs her head checked and is lucky shes still alive especially after being brazen enough to tell Bily to his face that she's humping his brother. It seems like shes forgot she's hanging out with the leaders of this violent gang and that the two brothers are borderline at war with each other already. Her sleeping around could've seen a lot of people killed... Wyclef also seems too happy to be backing these gangsters up which just shows ignorance. Why should these guys get to tell their story when they have probably overseen the murders of many people who never will get the chance to tell their sad tales. Does Wyclef see that or even care? I was going to give it 1 but it actually tells some of the grim story so I settled on 3.
davischenay
This is the realest piece of film I have ever watched. There's no glamour or icing over. You should watch this is you are fed up with the happy-ever-after, superhero and any other artificial stuff from Hollywood. Haiti's just a 2 hour flight from Miami,Florida and yet not much has been done to really help. How ironic it is that the US decides to send tens of thousands of troops halfway across the world to Iraq and Afghanistan to chase after ghosts hiding in a few hills when the real spooky and tangible evidence is right on the American doorstep. I commend the film makers' negotiating skills that enabled them to get face to face with the Chimeres chiefs. No acting here, this is real stuff, 100% authentic stuff.
Saschat
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.
