Horst_In_Translation Review of REW FFWD

REW FFWD (1994)

Interest in Jamaica helps, but isn't crucial to enjoy this one

[6/10 · 16 May 2017]

"REW FFWd" is a Canadien half-hour live action documentary short film from 1994, so this one will have its 25th anniversary in two years. The writer and director is Denos Villeneuve and he was only in his mid-20s when he made this one, his very first career effort. The topic is extremely specific, namely life, culture and problems in Jamaica at the end of the last millennium. There are moments where you could argue if this is really a documentary or fictitious for the most part, but it is up to you to decide. I think the fact that basically everybody we see is no professional actor in here is in my opinion crucial for this being a documentary. Now this is not a work that will really sparkle your interest in the subject too much, so it certainly helps if you care more about the film beforehand than I did to be honest. However, there is a bit of an authentic touch to it and what you hear in here sounds poetic and only rarely tends to sound pretentious. I believe that it's a pretty solid first work for such a young filmmaker. Narrator Lorne Brass is still collaborating with Villeneuve these days, over two decades later, now that he is probably Canada's most famous filmmaker right now. As for this work here, it is fair to say that Villeneuve's rise in popularity made it more famous and that it would perhaps be entirely unknown without the big name attached to the project. Still, I recommend checking it out. Thumbs up.