The harder they come

1. In general, what did you like and dislike about the film?

In general I enjoyed the film. It was interesting to see how was Jamaica in that time as a society and a culture. The movie capture really well the differences between the characters and the social groups in Jamaica. One of the things that I liked the most was the growing of Ivan as a character and how he fought for his dreams, even thought not always in the most legal way. 

The thing I didn’t like about the film was that I found the whole thing very chaotic. Things happened very fast and in occasions I didn’t understood what was happening. As an example, after the fight between Ivan and his friend for the bike, he suddenly appears living in another place. 

2. Who is your favorite character from the film?

My favorite character is definitely Ivanhoe Martin. Is a really charismatic protagonist, he always found the way to stole the glimpses. I think Ivan is a really endearing character, people can relate with him and the thing that he represent, his searched for identity and a place in the world is something very relatable. In certain way he also represent Jamaicans, he is constantly finding the way to overcome the struggles, even when the next problem is bigger than the previous one. 

3. Would you recommend this film to someone, why/why not?

I would recommend the film, but warning that it’s not for everyone. I personally liked the movie and I recommend it to, it’s placed in a very interesting political, social and cultural background, the main character it’s a really good one and also it’s an opportunity to see one of the biggest films in the history of Jamaica. But it’s necessarily to warn that the language and the tempo of the movie could be impediments to enjoy the film, also not everyone enjoy movies made with a little budget.

4. How does this film contribute to postcolonial identity?

I think that the film contribute to the postcolonial identity of the country, being a reflex of the Jamaican society and culture. In first place, the entire narrative of the film show how it’s to live in Jamaica, how it’s the situation in al levels, and how difficult is to find opportunities in such an injustice society. 

The idea of made the film using the Jamaican Patois instead of English also contributes to be more faithful to his identity as a country. Also the fact that the movie show important things for the Jamaican culture as the reggae and how it was the music business in Jamaica bak in the day, the same could applied to the ganja as a representation of a part of the Jamaican heritage.