The Agronomist (2003)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Release Date:

31 March 2004 (France)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

The true story of Jean Dominique, a Haitian radio journalist and human rights activist.

Plot Keywords:

Haiti

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jean Dominique	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aboudja	...	Himself
Ronald Reagan	...	Himself (archive footage)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violent images and brief nudity.

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Clinica Estetico

Quotes:

Jean Dominique: But in 1980, Carter was losing ground. Mr. Ronald...
[smiles]
Jean Dominique: you know him?... was winning ground. And they...
[makes a couple long sniffing sounds]
Jean Dominique: ... smelled it. They said: "The time has come, human rights no more. The Cowboy are back in the white house." And you know the Macoute were fascinated by the cowboy. It was the end of the "Haitian Spring".

Movie Connections:

References La strada (1954)

Jean Dominique's teeth

The Agronomist, a documentary film by Johnathon Demme, director of Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia, was made over the course of a decade in Demme's free time about the Haitian radio journalist. When Dominique was killed, this movie became about a martyr story for the people. Demme does a decent job with the confusing tale, but his documentary style might border on boring if it weren't for the astounding presence of Dominique himself. He is a wildly eccentric man, and very funny to watch, especially with his large white teeth and folding face. But you know while you're watching him that he's also very serious. This is at the same time a political movie and the study of an endlessly interesting man. It is a movie that sides with the Democratic, but to call it a Liberal movie is unfair, since the Democratic interests in Haiti are on a much different scale than those of America. Their interests were freedom, every day life. To them, Clinton was a chance for freedom and democracy, and I respect that. There are wonderful sequences such as when they talk about his love of film and agriculture. He was "an agronomist without any land." This is a moving picture that offers a lot of insight into the Haitian culture, and lets us see it through the eyes of this wonderful little man.

My grade: 8/10