Le Pays à  l’envers

Le pays à l’envers is like lacework, where past and present images, video, Super 8, dance and music, territory and family history, arts and social movements intertwine to weave a uniform image of Guadeloupe. To all appearances, the subject is a simple one: the filmmaker sets out to find her roots, but when it comes to giving them substance, matters are more complicated. The further the film goes back in Guadeloupe’s history, the more it uncovers to what extent the slave-owning power undertook a work of obliteration… The Guadeloupe filmed by Sylvaine Dampierre is like the slaves’ vegetable gardens, staked out on rugged unproductive land, where the vegetable beds need constant protection against a lush and voracious nature. A Sisyphean task. (Yann Lardeau)