Michael Mooleedhar, a filmmaker who brings Trinidadian dance and carefree spirit to Fribourg

Le Regard Libre N° 38 - Loris S. Musumeci

Dreadlocks, hat and scarf bearing the colors of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. This was Michael Mooleedhar's outfit at the Fribourg International Film Festival. The filmmaker presented his first feature film: Green Days by the River, adapted from the novel of the same name by Michael Anthony. A meeting at the rhythm of dance and insouciance.

Loris S. Musumeci: What path led you to the realization of Green Days by the River ?

Michael Mooleedhar: This is my first feature film. I wanted to tell this simple yet complex story, inspired directly by Michael Anthony's novel of the same name. A classic in our country. So it was the right time to apply my knowledge of film technique and the experience I'd gained from other, less substantial productions.

Was it important to you to work locally with local materials?

Yes, really. As a matter of fact, Green Days by the River is now the first Trinidadian work by a Trinidadian author to be adapted for the screen by a Trinidadian director. What an honor!

How did you go about making this project a reality?

I read the book and wanted to make it into a film. Five years later, producer Christian James heard about the project, which I presented to him. We talked a lot, and I was convinced that this potential film could be made, thanks in particular to Michael Anthony's notoriety. As a result of the negotiations, we'll be making Green Days by the River and nothing else for the time being, in order to be fully involved.

You've made a local film with universal themes. We get a taste of friendship and love, but also of Gidharee's revenge after seeing her daughter cheated by Shell.

In reality, it's not revenge, but love. Gidharee wants Shell for his daughter, because he has a fatherly love for the boy. Nevertheless, he wants to control him. Gidharee is a very complex character: he has his good side and his darker side. In any case, he makes a decision and has to see it through, even if it means using cunning and violence.

Green Days by the River doesn't present a shift from love to hate, but different types of love.

I mean that deeply. Gidharee would never have killed Shell, he's simply asking him to assume his responsibilities. The young man has done everything to seduce his daughter; he is therefore not worthy of dropping everything for another love affair.

In the way you film love, even physical love, you demonstrate a modesty that is astonishing for a European viewer. Is this a requirement of decency for you?

Not necessarily. Above all, I tried to translate the way love is written in Anthony's novel. He places himself inside the characters' heads, without presenting love as a spectacle. There's a great deal of discretion on his part that I wanted to let show in my image. Secondly, I wanted to speak the language of my own culture, my own language, so I detached myself from the Hollywood way of filming love. It's true that in my film I rely more on suggestion than on showing everything.

The story is dramatic, especially with the death of Shell's father. Yet the mood of the film is one of carefreeness. Is this specific to your culture?

It's the Caribbean culture that keeps us calm, despite the problems. People breathe easy; they enjoy life. Worry only explodes in extreme situations. In addition, our Christian culture helps us to accept death: this is the case for Shell when her father dies. The latter even died quite serenely, praying. «Thy will be done», he says, surrendering himself to God.

Your film is very danceable. It's particularly so in the farm work scenes. What do you see as the link between dance and work?

The scene you're talking about doesn't appear in the novel. However, I wanted to show the beauty of the cocodance, The body moves to work and the result is a dance. The body moves to work, and the result is a dance: this is very present in Trinidad and Tobago. It's also worth noting that in the film, the cocodance expresses not only joy at work, but also seduction. It almost takes on a sexual dimension.

Do young people still dance this way?

Certainly, we remain a festive people who like to drink and dance. This applies to all generations. Young people, on the other hand, are unaware of many of the dance practices of the 1950s, the period during which the story takes place. I wanted to show them that their forebears used to dance the foxtrot or the mambo in costume. Many of them smiled when they saw the scene of the afternoon dance at the village fête.

The river is in the title, and is present in silent shots. What exactly are you expressing through it?

The river is a metaphor. It's the Ortoire River, described by Michael Anthony in the novel. My idea is that the character of Rosalie represents the river, which is why I insisted on filming her bathing in it at the opening of the film. The girl seems elusive to Shell, like the river that's always moving forward. But as soon as he succeeds in seducing her, the opposite problem arises: he can't tear himself away from her, because she moves forward and takes him in her current forever.

What will your next film be about? Will you continue with a local project?

The ideas my team and I come up with depend very much on the funding we receive. The film industry in Trinidad and Tobago is neither rich nor powerful. That's why I'd like to co-produce my next film with the USA or the UK. Of course, it's not easy.

Your talent will undoubtedly help you.

I certainly hope so! (laughs) In any case, this invitation to the Fribourg Film Festival has already helped me a great deal, and I'd like to express my deepest gratitude to Fribourg and Switzerland for hosting me this week. It's a fantastic place, and I'm making some wonderful new acquaintances. Thank you so much!

Thank you very much.

Write to the author : loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Loris S. Musumeci for Le Regard Libre