Cristo Rey

Janvier is a good-natured young man living in the town of Cristo Rey (Christ the Redeemer) in the Dominican Republic. The son of a Haitian mother and Dominican father, Janvier, like so many Haitian-Dominicans, is the constant target of casual discrimination and police harassment. After his mother is deported to Haiti, he is desperate to reunite with her in Port-au-Prince. Reluctantly he takes a job with a gang leader, El Bacá, as a bodyguard to Jocelyn, El Bacá’s sister. Soon the youngsters are in the grip of a clandestine love affair. As Janvier becomes more entwined with both Jocelyn and El Bacá, he is forced to make a difficult, dangerous decision. Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, Leticia Tonos Paniagua’s enthralling and energetic film updates Shakespeare’s play to a contemporary Caribbean setting, with a fresh, urgent take on the classic story that makes it feel as though it’s been ripped from the daily headlines.