Monsieur Le President

What begins as a distressing account of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti slowly evolves here into something more mysterious, as volunteer nurse and filmmaker Victoria Campbell focuses on a local hero who suddenly turns into a different, darker person. Campbell travels to Haiti following the catastrophe to treat the injured and record what seems like endless views of buildings and homes reduced to rubble, often captured with a shaky camera that is held surreptitiously whenever soldiers and police are nearby. Campbell also meets scores of people who, despite living in shelters or biding their time on the streets, seem upbeat. After awhile a man named Gaston enters the picture, a determined crusader who opens a free clinic with a doctor and nurses, all funded by a charity set up by a journalist from Time magazine. Campbell and Gaston (called “the president” by clinic supporters) become good friends, and she portrays him as a noble warrior working for his people, selflessly handing out medical kits and making sure that kids have basic hygienic materials. But there is another side to Gaston: as a voodoo priest he becomes possessed, allegedly, by a sword-wielding spirit named “Jean” in a feverish ritual that is filmed as if in a dream by Campbell. And things truly turn noir-ish when, after three years, Campbell finds Gaston acting more remote—a prelude to unexpected developments. A slow-burning personal documentary, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)