[English review] “Mauvais Choix” by Kichena

Karukerament Season 3 will be exclusively about films set in Guadeloupe. As I have a better understanding of the viewer that I am and how to manage my expectations, I think I'm ready to confront myself to Guadeloupean representation now. And this is what I did on June 19th of 2021. I went to a screening of “Mauvais Choix” [t/n: “Wrong Choice”] written and directed by Kichena of Prémices Art Studio. I already knew I wasn't the target audience, I’m not a hood movies fan, but still, I wanted to support the film. For the culture. Unless it’d fail my main criteria to enjoy a film: the intention behind the camera.

It’s not about the money…

“Mauvais Choix” is a long short film. Kichena didn’t have the budget to make it a full-length feature, but he had enough material to do something longer than a short film, so the film was edited with the format of a TV-series episode. It shows in the random music videos interlude. It shows in the last 15 minutes that felt rushed to reach the final scene that ends on a cliffhanger. It’s an ambitious project which, despite its flaws, manages to harmonize the different elements of what the mainstream representation of Guadeloupe has been for the past 20 years: hustling, even drug dealing, with beautiful landscapes as a backdrop.

It’s about the story

“Mauvais Choix” may seem like the typical 90’s-early 2000’s hood story at first glance.

After losing his job, Vincent, a young Caribbean man, finds himself mired in deep trouble.

If you listen to my podcast, you know I gravitate toward stories about ordinary people. I like the slice-of-life style. I do have a soft spot for hood stories, but let’s be honest, I don’t care about people who don’t live by a code of honor. 9 times out of 10, these stories portray black masculinity in a toxic way that I cannot consciously support. But that’s on me. “Mauvais Choix” could have been the typical hood story if there hadn’t been the intention to entertain with a new perspective of the usual stereotypes. Just like “Nèg Maron” by Jean-Claude Barny, it gives us a nuanced representation of young Black men. They have feelings, they show their vulnerability. And this alone is enough to silence my critical voice because these characters were humanized in a predictable yet touching way.

it’s about the people

I do have things to say about the one-dimensional female characters, and you’ll have to tune in to my podcast to hear that. However, what you feel through the screen is the desire to show Guadeloupean people with dignity. Even the comedy moments weren’t about making fun of the characters, it was about releasing a bit of the thriller tension. Most of the actors are popular Guadeloupean singers. Besides cameos by Admiral T, LaRose, Drexi, or the second lead role portrayed by Little Espion, having upcoming star Were Vana as the lead character and upcoming legend Misié Sadik as the villain was a smart move to make a Guadeloupean audience want to see the film. Having Yarma Videos (1, 2) and Marka Films onboard was the guarantee for quality visuals. So, the filmmaking process also reflects the energy of wanting to create good content.

Like we discussed in my panel about Caribbean films and language during the 1st Conch Shell International Festival, authenticity isn’t that easy to achieve when you’re a Caribbean filmmaker. If you care about bringing a good representation of the Caribbean, then you must constantly walk a fine line between the negative stereotypes that mainstream media created and the desire to be realistic yet entertaining. Yes, there’s poverty in Guadeloupe. Yes, people struggle. But at the end of the day, let’s not forget this is cinema. Cinema is supposed to take you on a journey. The journey being in a familiar setting that you grew up in is just a bonus. And that’s what “Mauvais Choix” did. This is the kind of content Alain Bidard talked about in our first interview.

One area for improvement is the ability of our local cinema industry to capture the genres that generate the most money: horror, thriller, fantasy. These genres don’t need stars, are inexpensive to shoot and sell very well internationally. But our industry remains stuck in historical film, drama, comedy, and documentaries. These genres are difficult to export, even if they seem more "noble" than entertainment cinema. Making genre films would make it possible to multiply productions because it would create a demand. Because for the moment, Caribbean films are initiatives, proposals, but the demand for Caribbean films is not yet there to boost the industry.

With some fine-tuning here and there, “Mauvais Choix” definitely has the potential to go mainstream on an international level because it’s a simple yet compelling story told with sincerity. Hopefully, we’ll also get more stories like this.