this film is beautiful, experimental, and curious with surrealist elements and a non-linear narrative. not meant to be a complete encapsulation of Suzanne Césaire’s life or politics but a brief portrait using her essays written from 1941-1945 (after which she did mot publish any of her writing) as an entry point to explore her relationship to surrealism, the war, Martinique, the land/the forest, and nature’s role more broadly in the lives of caribbean people and our effects on it. there’s a also a dance happening between Suzanne, Aimé and Andre Breton, illustrating how they collaborated on Tropiques, an anti-colonial publication they edited together. I found that bit of the film particularly interesting—the sensual and playful way their collaboration was shown. 

Madeline Hunt-Erlich also explores the complexity of entering motherhood while maintaining an intellectual and political practice and presence, in a sort of meta way, Zita Hanrot, had just given birth to her first child while they were working on this film and that entered the work literally. 

at the q&a, Hunt-Erlich was saying how Motell Foster (depicting Aimé Césaire) was like “you know I’m from Alabama, right?” (lol—zita hanort is half-Jamaican.) And Madeline went on to talk about how her casting choices were all in favor of collaborating to highlight Suzanne and her work and contributions. the words that Aimé recites in the film are Suzanne’s words. it is not about him and when it is it is only to say more about her. I love love loved the scene where they are at a conference or radio broadcasting (unclear) and Aimé recites this powerful speech, then Suzanne delivers the same words and it’s like you actually hear them differently. her delivery is just as powerful but more present. idk I want to talk about that scene for a long time.

I’m super curious to see what other people think of this as it gets screened more widely. I can imagine some of the critiques will circle around the casting and it feeling incomplete or not all encoming but I really valued seeing an experimental black film that was quiet, non-linear that ends with a question and invitation. Madeline talked a lot about how she believes (or Suzanne believed?—my hand written notes are a little illegible) that the “work” gets picked up and continues outside of our time and she hopes that people will feel empowered to read Suzanne and study her and make art about her and that this can be an accompaniment to the other work that gets ushered into the world and celebrates Suzanne. 

there’s so much more to say!!! like the scene with the PA reading the essay during a (real) thunderstorm!! can’t wait to talk about it more with folks.