BETTER MUS’ COME PUBLICITY CONTACTS Tilane Jones [email protected] 818.995.0050 Rating: NR TRT: 104 minutes CREDITS Written & Directed by Storm Producer Paul Bucknor Executive Produced by Joshua Bratter Samantha Bratter Paul Bucknor Director of Photography Storm Editors Storm Paul Bucknor Cast Sheldon Shepherd - Ricky Nicole Grey - Kemala Ricardo Orgill - Flames Everaldo Creary - Short Man Roger Guenveur Smith - Prime Minister SYNOPSIS Better Mus’ Come is a coming of age drama set in Jamaica’s turbulent 1970s, against the backdrop of the Cold War, a national water crisis, an energy crisis, corruption, and numerous murder scandals that gave birth to the polarized violence gripping the streets of Kingston both then and now. After months of incarceration as a suspected political agitator, Ricky is released. Haunted by the tragic death of his devoted young wife and paralyzed by conflicting feelings of guilt and loyalty to his political tribe, he tries to navigate his way through the minefields created by the constant social upheaval that seems to be ubiquitous in his community, while providing a better life for his 5- year old son. At his home coming party Ricky meets Kemala, a book smart country girl, who lives in the opposing neighborhood, enemy territory. In many ways they are opposites, but what starts as antagonism quickly turns into burning passion. Kemala encourages Ricky to convince his old friends in the community to adopt a more passive approach. To defy the status quo of confrontation, this leads to the inevitable cycle of violence. The big question is, can Ricky and his crew beat the odds and ensure that Better Mus’ Come? Director’s Statement I’ve always been a bit of a cold war junkie, and there was a point in my life where I would watch, read, and research everything I could on geopolitics and espionage in the 20th century. I particularly remember the well-documented case of the US backed military coup that brought down Chile’s democratically elected government and killed its president. To my surprise something similar, but much less known, had also happened in Jamaica. I grew up with stories from my parents and elder Rastafarians about CIA infiltration of Jamaica, but it was only during this research that I practically stumbled upon Jamaica’s chapter in the cold war. I learnt about the destabilization of my country and the undeclared civil war that took place from the 1970’s into the early 80’s between street gangs who were recruited and armed by the political parties to fight for control of communities and the resulting votes of their inhabitants. The legacy of this time has so influenced our culture and shaped our society that it is safe to say Jamaica would have been an entirely different nation, and much better off, if not for this tragic time. Here was the most significant moment in our post-colonial history and we were taught nothing about it in school. The script was developed with the goal of putting Jamaica’s culture of violence in context. To show that our reputation for celebrating gangsterism is the result of an entrenched political culture that continues to keep the masses separated and oppressed. A culture that developed as a direct result of outside influence from the World’s superpowers, with their desire to control the destiny of other nations. I wanted to humanize the gangster, to show that he is the product of his environment for which both he and society at large must pay the price. This is a universal story, as political violence is definitely not unique to Jamaica, but a defining factor of many if not most developing nations Ricky is a gang leader who has lost his will to fight for political principles he no longer believes in. He is the protector of his community, and a single father raising a young son who has started to emulate his violent ways. How does he break the cycle of violence when he is only valued for his willingness to be violent? Ricky is not a faceless mad dog criminal like society would consider him, but a real person with wants, needs, motivations, and hobbies. He writes poetry, but keeps it to himself. Who wants to hear a gangster recite poetry anyways? Kemala is a book smart young lady who does not see her world in terms of neighborhood boundaries, and therefore has no fear of crossing them. The simplicity of her outlook encourages Ricky to think outside of the boundaries he has put himself in. The experience I’m most trying to communicate with Better Mus’ Come is that of discovery. Through discovering the facts of our post colonial history one can better understand the power and relevance of our cultural output. When reggae music conquered the world with Bob Marley and other icons singing about “tribal warfare” and rising above oppression, he was speaking about what he saw right in front of him on the streets of Kingston, and this music resonated across the globe. As a cinematographer I placed major emphasis on telling the story visually. The political war was a color war; Orange versus Green, PNP (People’s National Party) versus JLP (Jamaica Labor Party). I was never dead-set on the dialogue I wrote or my preconceptions about a character, but preferred to create an atmosphere of exploration with the actors so that nuanced moments could arise, bringing something unpredictable and magical to the film. What was most important to me was creating an atmosphere that was at once beautiful, and thick with tension. I took major inspiration from the cinematography of Christopher Doyle, the rich colors of Marcel Camus’ “Black Orpheus”, and the legendary gun-slinging sound of Ennio Morricone. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION “FIX AND DESTROY” - GREEN BAY MASSACRE In the 1970’s members of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Peoples National Party (PNP) were embroiled in a bloody battle for power. Trapped in that ideological war were communities of Jamaicans longing for solutions to basic problems. Both parties fought that battle in the streets and alleys of Kingston with gangs who used violence and intimidation to silence opposition. This toxic mix of tribalism, politics, poverty, power, and violence that permeated in Jamaica set the stage for the Green Bay Massacre. January 5, 1978, 14 members of the JLP targeted and deemed as a threat to the stability of the PNP government are lured to the Green Bay Shooting Range under the assumption that they were to transport and guard shipments of illegal guns. The men were caught in an ambush, led by members of the Military Intelligence Unit, which left 5 dead. Better Mus’ Come written and produced three decades later questions the actions of the people who chose to engage politics and violence and how that decision transformed the community. STATE OF EMERGENCY For first time feature filmmaker Storm Saulter, making a film set in his native Jamaica was necessary for two key reasons, to offer thoughtful reflection on a tumultuous time in Jamaican history and to help breathe new life into the Jamaican cinematic landscape. In an interview with The Fader, Saulter shared where the idea for Better Mus’ Come came from: “I was always interested in the Cold War and the whole geopolitics of that time. The effect that had on Jamaica and our relations with Cuba and the US was also interesting, then add to that the Green Bay Massacre. When you put all those together with the heightening party politics of the time, it makes for a great story.” Paired with a strong fascination for researching history, espionage, and political thriller films, Saulter had to tell the story of the Green Bay Massacre. Most Jamaican youth born after the massacre are not aware that it occurred. “I always had a romantic idea about what the ‘70s and maybe the ‘60s were like, and I felt like maybe I should have been born around that time because it just seemed like a fair amount of freedom and movement and less just gentrified world.” Saulter acknowledges. When he began studying the Cold War and the subsequent proxy wars, he discovered Jamaica’s involvement. A key piece of research for Saulter was Laurie Gunst’s book Born Fi’ Dead, which gave him a point of reference for the time period. Saulter goal with Better Mus’ Come was to examine the type of environment that causes something like the Green Bay Massacre to happen. “It looks at the situations and influences that created that kind of violence. It’s not a film to give answers but to raise questions on the socio-political situation and you can draw a parallel to what’s happening today.” Saulter said. The same month Saulter premiered Better Mus’ Come in Jamaica, security forces invaded Tivoli Gardens in an effort to capture alleged drug don Dudus. The striking parallels between the fragile state of socio-political emergency during both events (at least 73 civilians died as a result of the incursion) magnifies the origin of this problem. “There is a misconception that Jamaicans are intrinsically violent, and I wanted to create a story that more accurately illustrated the root cause and effect of the extreme violence taking place in our country.” Saulter explains. Saulter admits that he feared the movie would not translate well to foreign audiences, “I was worried that maybe the film would be too specific to Jamaica for it to be appreciated.” He went on to say, “The current state of world affairs with political instability in so many places and many situations of political corruption, the film keeps getting more relevant.” A VISA AND A HURRICANE As the story goes, Saulter had to come back to Jamaica to get another visa.