Hope. When you have nothing left, you cling to every tiny morsel of hope available. Mozayik is a short documentary that follows a group of people as they are evicted from their makeshift homes and tents in Port-au-Prince after the January 2010 earthquake. The tents were to be destroyed to make way for shiny new office buildings. The people were offered $125 US each and were given a deadline to vacate the land.
This is the story about a community coming together to fight against inequity. Augustin Mona, the leader of the group is tested by the authorities and the people alike. There's a powerful moment in this film where it seems Mona has to detach himself from the brutal reality surrounding him just so he can function. As he looks on at a dead body covered in flies exposed in the streets, a surreal scene with a mother's deafening screams for a soundtrack, Mona says: "Once the body is removed then we can get back to discussing the logistics of relocation." It's not that he doesn't care, bu he must find a way to cope in order to function.
Eviction day arrives. The makeshift homes are unceremoniously destroyed. The group must create a new community in an area known as Canaan. The town takes its name from the old testament and its new residents' faith is prominently displayed in the film.
Mozayik deftly and subtly explores issues of leadership, religion, adverse possession and yes, hope. As with nearly everything in Haiti, religion and uncertainty are sprinkled throughout. A great little documentary! (Directed by Jon Bougher, Associate Producer Frantz Pierre).
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