[English review] "Uncivilized" or back to the Caribbean basics

Released in 2019, Uncilivized is a full-length feature directed by Michael Lees in 2017. In 72 minutes, he tells his search of answers to the questions : « why did men left the forest ? What's a good life ? ». Camera in hand, he decides to settle in the Dominican bushes for six months... He had anticipated everything but devasting Hurricane Maria.

A volontary introspection

I don't get the concept of people wanting to live like they're in the TV show “Survivor” on their own will. This “Survivor” example might be extreme. I give you that. What I mean is that we live in a material comfort that the majority of people in the world doesn’t get access to. Why would you want to live without it ? Because material comfort doesn't mean you'll automatically find happines. That's how Michael Lees felt when he returned to Dominica in 2017 to bring his project to life : to spend 6 months in the bushes like the first human beings on Earth.

Being able to choose to leave one's material comfort is a privilege itself. Michael Lees is aware of that. He's clear and precise on his need to reflect on his life. He carefully prepares this physical and spiritual journey. The editing builds the story between vlogging sequences, interviews with people he knows and footage of the lush Dominican vegetation. Who is he supposed to be ? He questions himself on a regular basis as he gets used to a lifestyle based only on two things : food and shelter. Two weeks later, he's sure that mankind was wrong for leaving this life behind. Two months later...

Leading to the beauty of humanity

Hurricane Maria devastates Dominica. The night sequence itself lasts less than 5 minutes, but these few hours are enough to change completely his perspective. Now, he sees civilization as a way to cover one primary need above anything else : protection. Society is supposed to give us ways to protect ourselves against the violence of Nature. But even then, human beings can only get prepared to face the worst and hope that everything will be all right.

In the last half-hour of the film, Michael Lees turns his camera to the people around him and becomes a mere witness of human solidarity and dignity. My generation grew up with the memories of Hurricane Hugo that devastated Guadeloupe in 1989. I didn't experience it, but I grew up seeing half-destroyed and forever abandoned houses all around the island. Every time a storm or a hurricane was announced, adults prepared with such a fascinating calm against the odds of losing everything. This isn't fatalism. This is the acceptance of our human condition. Growing up in the Caribbean, it's to be aware of your own mortality and of the beauty of life. Material comfort only becomes valuable when you're aware what is essential. Each person will define their own limitations to figure out what their happiness is.

With “Uncivilized”, Michael Lees is trying to find a meaning to his life as a young man in his early 20's at the beginning of the 21st century. His personal quest turns into a testimony of a young Caribbean man finding inner peace while facing the adversity with his island.

Photo credit: Uncilivized