September 5 2013 – You know times are tough in the ghetto when you purposely sleep under the bed each night to avoid gun shots. Shantytown offerings and tough goings in one of Kingston’s roughest neighbourhoods are the order of the day for rude boy Rocksy (Christopher Daley). As he struggles on the margins by scratching out a living as a money losing taxi driver and part-time street hustler his eyes fixate on the one thing he covets the most to change his dismal future and attain nirvana, stealing a red custom Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution sports car. While Rosie (Camille Small), his battle weary girlfriend currently employed in the worlds oldest profession, longs for the simplicity of living in the serenity of a beach paradise. With chop shop ready connections in his brethren Malt (Gregory Nelson), Jamaica’s equivalent to Abbott and Costello both fast track down the moral low ground as mayhem and madness quickly ensues in Mary Wells’s hard scrabble saucy mouth and sassy comedy, Kingston Paradise.
Paradise can come in many forms and based on all short term projections, Rocksy won’t see any of them. With little means and even less execution, things don’t look good. But, what Rocksy lacks in execution he more than makes up for with a patchwork of gumption and grit. And he’s going to need both and then some if this contrived car caper is ever going to make it to the finish line. The car belongs to a local businessman, Faris (Paul Shoucair) and our dynamic duo figures that the money from the parts could change their lives. As with everything in Rocksy life, this half baked plan goes awry. This revolving climate of frustration doubled down with an escalation of danger has finally caught up to Rosie who simply wants out. When she finally leaves, Rocksy becomes even more desperate and devastated. He does the unthinkable.
Director Mary Wells’s cinematic offering continues a successful tradition of Jamaican urban dramas like such breakout films as Third World Cop, The Harder They Come and Dancehall Queen. Location location location is the foundation that makes everything else possible in Kingston Paradise. The neighbourhood of Southside near downtown Kingston becomes the epicentre, when you add in the constant gun violence stinging your ears at every turn, it is easy to see how escapist ideology become all consuming for Rocksy and Rosie. Not without its comedic leanings, Kingston Paradise serves up liberal helpings of cut eye, Patois and sassy mouth stuups which are the fabric of classic Jamaican cinema.
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 – This daring and gritty film serves as a metaphor for finding ones true happiness. Desperation coupled with laughs seeps out of every scene and the anxious pace becomes unnervingly real. Although there were some continuity and editing miscues that tended to hobble the movie along the way, the core strength of the story more than makes up. This comedy joyfully peppered with traditional Jamaican isms in the end delivers convincing humour while still bringing home a message.
Final Thought: What does Caribbean paradise mean to you ?
Genre: Off Beat Action Drama
Country: Jamaica
Co-Production: Jamaica, Canada
Language: English (Subtitles)
Director: Mary Wells
Writer: Mary Wells
Executive Producers: Frances-Anne Soloman, Mary Wells
Producers: Frances-Anne Soloman, Mary Wells, Saioya Alcott
Release Date: 2013
Runtime: 83 minutes
Cast: Chris ‘Johnny’ Daley, Camille Small, Gregory Nelson. Paul Shoucair, Peter Abrikian, Muncair Zacca
