In 2017, Haitian writer-director Bruno Mourral impressed audiences with his mid-length film Kafou, co-written by Jasmuel Andri, who stars in the film, and Gilbert Mirambeau Jr. After a few challenging years in production on their follow-up project, Mourral makes his feature debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with Kidnapping, Inc., a wild, action-packed political thriller/dark comedy. The multigenre Creole and French-language film explores the country’s rampant crime, corrupt politicians and police, and everyone else just trying to survive.
Set in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, two kidnappers-for-hire, Doc (Jasmuel Andri) and Zoe (Rolapthon Mercure), abduct Benjamin “Ti Ben” Perralt Jr. (Patrick Joseph), son of senator and presidential candidate Benjamin Perralt (Ashley Laraque). But things don’t go as planned.
In attempting to rectify their massive blunder, they continue to make poor, often baffling decisions at every turn. Ti Ben’s wife Audrey (Anabel Lopez) is understandably shaken when she receives an anonymous ransom demand and springs into action, frantically trying to collect a large sum of money. As scared and shocked as she is about the kidnapping of her husband, the sad reality is that for the people of Haiti, this situation is all too common.
Doc and Zoe may be adequate abductors but when it comes to keeping the hostage concealed and/or alive, this proves to be the hardest part of the job while trying to stay alive themselves. The desperate duo have one misadventure after another, bringing more people into their disastrous kidnapping gone wrong.
They stumble upon Patrick Voltaire and his pregnant wife Laura (Gessica Geneus), a couple on their way out of the country. Between fearing for their lives and panicking about missing their flight, it’s pure chaos. The camera manages to capture the frenzy with all four of them packed inside an SUV, arguing and talking over each other, usually while speeding through the streets of Port-au-Prince or stopped amid yelling and honking horns.
The hectic pace can be a little disorienting at first, but it’s one of the film’s strengths. Putting us right in the action only increases the tension and relentless sense of urgency. The calmer moments are welcomed and give more insight into some of the characters’ motivations for leading this life of crime. Doc, in particular, has an intriguingly emotional backstory briefly addressed throughout the film.
Jasmuel Andri delivers one of the strongest performances as a criminal who struggles with his compassion as a human being, something that’s more than likely frowned upon in his dangerous, cruel line of work. His partner is impulsive and easily triggered, leaving Doc as the one trying and sometimes failing to gain control of every situation.
Bruno Mourral’s 50-minute film Kafou appears to be a previous chapter in the lives of characters Doc and Zoe. Under the instruction of police chief Fritz Jacques Bama (Manfred Marcelin), who reprises his role in the newest film, the two have to transport a package but get interrupted by increasingly extreme situations. This story takes place at night, meaning it has a different yet similarly anxiety-inducing atmosphere. It also establishes Fritz’s three rules that they constantly break in Kidnapping Inc.: “Never open the car windows. Never open my trunk. Never stop the car for any reason.”
Kidnapping Inc.’s dark tone largely stems from its real-life tragic subject matter: the increasing gang violence, murder, and kidnappings in Haiti. Just the fact that the film was made sounds like a miracle. Production was just as, if not more so, harrowing as the film itself. In 2021, three crew members were victims of a kidnapping, which Mourral referred to as “a cruel irony.”
Fortunately, they were safely returned. But that wasn’t the only obstacle Mourral and his team had to overcome. “Over the years we have risked everything to finish this film. Despite political unrest, the assassination of the president, COVID, or production that has stopped three times, our team still managed to finish this movie and tell the story. Our story.”
DP Martin Levent (Missions) captures the gritty corners of Port-au-Prince but also shows the city in all its vibrancy and beauty. The already on-edge characters have to navigate the madness in the stifling heat while drenched in sweat, making the audience feel uncomfortable to the point of needing a shower, especially in close-ups. In other words, it’s very effective.
Kidnapping, Inc. has a nice balance of high-stakes suspense, drama, and dark humor, making it an entertaining mix of City of God, Pulp Fiction, Good Time, and Narcos (minus the drugs), with the slapstick violence and quick-cut editing of buddy comedy Hot Fuzz. Although some of the music choices and slow-motion effects felt a bit out of place at times, Kidnapping, Inc. is an impressively made, authentic debut from a promising filmmaker.
Kidnapping, Inc. has its world premiere on January 22 at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
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