The World of Movies: Paradise Island
Written by Rachael Crawley
The World of Movies is a series that explores global cinema, drawing on films from many countries, industries and eras. This week, we head to Sierra Leone for a little romance.
Paradise Island.
May contain spoilers.
Boy meets girl. It’s perhaps the most common story ever told, the subject of countless works, but it can always be told again. Paradise Island (Jimmy B, 2009), billed as an “almost true love story”, is appealingly made with a lot of energy – and the result is a nice movie to curl up with on a Friday night.
Jay (Jimmy B) and Cynthia (Naomi Kamara) become friends as children, but are discouraged from meeting due to their social class. They carry on secret meetings, however, and the years pass. As young adults, they keep up their relationship. Cynthia wishes to introduce Jay to her father. Unfortunately, Dad does not take it well. The couple decides to run away together. During their blissful time on an isolated island, they are finally free to be themselves. The island scenes also double as a sort of music video, as Jay serenades Cynthia. It’s probably the strongest segment of the film.
If you’ve seen any romantic film, ever, you probably know where this story is going, but it’s an interesting journey to get there (even if it takes a few unusual swerves). There are obstacles and opponents, and eventually the couple are confronted on Paradise Island. There’s an exciting and dramatic chase scene involved. Will they get their happy ending? I guess you’ll have to watch to find out.
Paradise Island.
Technically, though the film is very low-budget, it does well with its different elements. It’s got a bouncy pop soundtrack that matches the tone of the film. I found myself dancing along at several points. The cinematography is brightly lit, adding to the upbeat feeling. The story is pretty standard, and the dialogue has quite a few clunky moments. The characters are fairly familiar archetypes – rich girl, poor boy, rival, disapproving father-in-law – but they’re given enough screentime to draw the viewer in. The dialogue is also occasionally hard to hear over the music. The acting can be hit-or-miss, but the actors playing Jay’s mother and Cynthia’s father stand out (the actors’ roles are not listed in the credits).
The film’s credits declare it as part of Sollywood, Sierra Leone’s new and growing film scene. It has a similar style to other industries in West Africa, such as Nollywood, and so it would have a similar appeal to film fans. Though it’s a story that has been told many times, it has a lot that appeals. At just an hour and five minutes, it is well worth taking a look.
Rachael Crawley holds a Master's Degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, and has worked with film in Canada and in Europe. She adores language and cinema, and how these subjects interact with each other.