Kidnapping Inc.

Last updated
Kidnapping Inc.
Kidnapping Inc. poster.jpg
Promotional release poster
Directed byBruno Mourral
Written byJasmuel Andri
Bruno Mourral
Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.
Produced bySamuel Chauvin
Yanick Létourneau
Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.
Bruno Mourral
StarringJasmuel Andri
Rolaphton Mercure
Patrick Joseph
Ashley Laraque
CinematographyMartin Levent
Edited byBruno Mourral
Arthur Tarnowski
Music by Olivier Alary
Production
companies
Muska Films
BHM Films
Promenade Films
Peripheria Films
Backup Media
Distributed byFilmoption International
Release date
  • January 22, 2024 (2024-01-22)(Sundance)
Running time
107 minutes
CountriesHaiti
Canada
France
LanguagesHaitian Creole
French

Kidnapping Inc. is a 2024 crime comedy thriller film co-written and directed by Bruno Mourral in his directorial debut. [1] A coproduction between Haiti, Canada and France, the film stars Jasmuel Andri and Rolaphton Mercure as Doc and Zoe, two low-level gangsters in Haiti who are assigned the task of transporting the kidnapped son of presidential candidate Benjamin Perralt (Ashley Laraque) to their boss's headquarters, only for the plan to go awry when they accidentally kill the victim, and must set out to abduct lookalike Patrick (Patrick Joseph) to cover their tracks. [2]

Contents

The cast also includes Anabel Lopez as Audrey, the girlfriend of the murder victim who is trying to raise the ransom money, and Gessica Généus as Laura, Patrick's pregnant wife who was trying to get out of Haiti so that her child could be born in a safer and freer country but becomes a collateral tag-along to Patrick's kidnapping. [3]

Production

Initial production on the film began in 2019, but had to shut down after just six weeks due to the political instability of Haiti at the time. [4] The COVID-19 pandemic then prevented a return to production in 2020. [5]

When production was slated to resume in 2021, it was further briefly delayed by the assassination of Jovenel Moïse, [3] but ultimately proceeded, only to then face an incident when three members of the film's crew were themselves kidnapped. [5]

Shooting was ultimately completed in October 2021. [5]

Distribution

The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. [6]

It had its Canadian premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival, [7] and returned for the Montreal International Black Film Festival. [8]

Its French premiere took place at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival. [9]

Critical response

The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

Vladan Petkovic of Cineuropa was the most positive, writing that "the film is a succession of ultra-kinetic set pieces, alternating with rapid dialogue segments that are often almost as entertaining as the car chases, shootouts and occasional slapstick moments, some of which happen almost too fast to register. Among the multitude of jokes and gags, some are excellently timed and executed, while some fall flat – but maybe they will not for local audiences. As for the actors, Mercure shines with his comedic chops and Andri lends a more contemplative, even melancholy, air to the buddy aspect of the movie." [2]

Siddhant Adlakha of IndieWire wrote that the film "lacks laughs, insight and personal ethos, thanks to its preoccupation with throwing as many half-formed jokes and soccer references onto the screen as possible. It never takes the time and care to carve them into something meaningful." [1]

Writing for Variety , Carlos Aguilar opined that "any film from a country with as scarce an output as Haiti is cause for curiosity, especially since it’s not a subdued, social realist drama of the kind typically sourced from developing countries to pad festival lineups. On paper, the idea to address social inequality and the corrosion of institutions by way of a potentially crowd-pleasing work of entertainment is sound, even daring, and that’s why the fact that the film’s many elements don’t amalgamate is a shame." [6]

Awards

At Fantasia, the film won the audience gold medal for Best Quebec Film, over Hunting Daze (Jour de chasse) and Ababooned (Ababouiné). [10]

The film was selected as Haiti's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Armin</i> (film) 2007 Croatian film

Armin is a 2007 Croatian-Bosnian drama film directed by Ognjen Sviličić that premiered at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ognjen Sviličić</span> Croatian screenwriter and film director

Ognjen Sviličić is a screenwriter and film director, based in Berlin, noted for his critically acclaimed 2007 films Sorry For Kung Fu, Armin and These Are the Rules.

<i>Class Enemy</i> (film) 2013 film

Class Enemy is a 2013 Slovenian drama film directed by Rok Biček. The film was selected as the Slovenian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It was nominated for the 2014 Lux Prize. It won the Fedeora Award at the 28th Venice Critics' Week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Docaviv</span> Annual international documentary film festival held in Tel Aviv, Israel

Docaviv, also known as the Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival, is the only film festival in Israel dedicated to documentary films, and the largest film festival in Tel Aviv. It is run by a non-profit organisation of the same name, founded in 1998. In recent years the festival has drawn an attendance of around 40,000.

<i>The Delegation</i> 2018 film

The Delegation is a 2018 Albanian drama film directed by Bujar Alimani. It was selected as the Albanian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

<i>Willow</i> (2019 film) 2019 film

Willow is a 2019 Macedonian film by Milcho Manchevski. It is about three women coping with issues of control over their bodies, tradition and adoption. The film premiered at the Rome Film Festival in 2019. А Macedonian-Belgian-Hungarian-Albanian coproduction, it screened at a number of international film festivals, winning several awards: Silver Palm at Mostra de Valencia, best director at Raindance, best film at Cinequest, Manuel De Oliveira Award at Fantasporto etc.

<i>The Father</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov

The Father is a 2019 Bulgarian-Greek comedy-drama film directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov. The film premiered at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival where it won the Crystal Globe award for best film. It was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

<i>Hive</i> (film) 2021 drama film

Hive is a 2021 Kosovan drama film written and directed by Blerta Basholli in her directorial debut. The film stars Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi and Aurita Agushi. It premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021 and became the first film in Sundance history to win all three main awards – the Grand Jury Prize, the Audience Award and the Directing Award – in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. It was selected as the Kosovan entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.

The Staffroom is a 2021 Croatian drama film, the feature film debut of writer and director Sonja Tarokić.

<i>A House Made of Splinters</i> 2022 documentary film

A House Made of Splinters is a 2022 documentary film by the Danish film director Simon Lereng Wilmont, created with the support of the State Agency of Ukraine for Film Affairs. An international co-production with Denmark, Ukraine, Sweden and Finland, it follows the story of children from a special orphanage in eastern Ukraine.

<i>The Echo</i> (2023 film) 2023 documentary film

The Echo is a 2023 Mexican-German docufiction film directed by Tatiana Huezo. The film, which also includes fictional elements, portrays the children of an isolated village "El Echo", in the Mexican highlands. The film is co-produced by Germany, and was selected to receive its world premiere in the Encounters section of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, on 17 February 2023. On December 7, it appeared in the eligible list for consideration of Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film for the 96th Academy Awards.

<i>Sira</i> (film) 2023 drama film by Apolline Traoré

Sira is a 2023 drama film written and directed by Apolline Traoré and starring Nafissatou Cissé, Mike Danon, Lazare Minoungou, Nathalie Vairac and Ruth Werner. The film depicts the story of young nomad named Sira, who after a brutal attack refuses to surrender to her fate without a fight and instead takes a stand against Islamist terror. It is a co-production between Burkina Faso, Senegal, France and Germany.

<i>Opponent</i> (film) 2023 Swedish-Norwegian drama film

Opponent is a 2023 Swedish-Norwegian drama film written and directed by Milad Alami. The film stars Payman Maadi as Iman, an Iranian man who has moved to Sweden as a refugee with his wife Maryam and their daughters Asal and Sahar. A wrestler in Iran before being forced to escape the country, he turns back to the sport in hopes of speeding up his asylum application by trying out for the Swedish national wrestling team, building toward the revelation that the real reason he was forced to leave Iran was that one of his former teammates outed him to the community as a closeted gay man, which carries the penalty of execution in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

<i>Songs of Earth</i> 2023 Norwegian documentary film

Songs of Earth is a 2023 Norwegian documentary film written and directed by Margreth Olin. In the film, Olin follows her 85-year-old father through a year in the natural surroundings of Oldedalen in Vestland, where he grew up. The film had its world premiere during the documentary film festival CPH:DOX in Denmark on 18 March 2023, and a Norwegian cinema premiere on 1 September of the same year.

<i>Sujo</i> 2024 Mexican film

Sujo is a 2024 coming-of-age crime drama film written and directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez starring Juan Jesús Varela. It premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. It is a co-production between Mexico, the United States and France.

The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a 2024 Norwegian documentary by Benjamin Ree.

<i>Shambhala</i> (2024 film) 2024 film by Min Bahadur Bham

Shambhala is a 2024 drama film directed by Min Bahadur Bham from a screenplay written by Bahadur and Abinash Bikram Shah. Starring Thinley Lhamo, Tenzin Dalha and Sonam Topden. It was selected in the Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear.

The Festival of Slovenian Film Portorož is an annual film festival held in Portorož, Slovenia, dedicated to Slovenian cinema and television productions.

Bikechess is a 2024 film written and directed by Assel Aushakimova. The French-Kazakh-Norwegian co-production had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on 9 June 2024, where the film won Best International Narrative Feature.

<i>Meeting with Pol Pot</i> 2024 Cambodian film

Meeting with Pol Pot is a 2024 drama film co-written and directed by Rithy Panh. Starring Irène Jacob, Grégoire Colin and Cyril Gueï. It is partially based on real events and on the book When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution by Elizabeth Becker.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.