Eat, for This is My Body (Mange, ceci est mon corps) (2007)

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Michelange Quay's stunning first feature seductively begs the viewer to abandon the rules of traditional storytelling and instead embrace a poetic, cinematic language. Eat, for This Is My Body tells of the evolution of power in Quay's native Haiti and the colonial relationship between black boys and… More Michelange Quay's stunning first feature seductively begs the viewer to abandon the rules of traditional storytelling and instead embrace a poetic, cinematic language. Eat, for This Is My Body tells of the evolution of power in Quay's native Haiti and the colonial relationship between black boys and white women.

The film begins with a breathtaking aerial swoop over Haiti that seems to beckon the pain of poverty, war, and revolution to thrive and wreak havoc on the serene land. The traumatic image of a woman struggling with an enormously pregnant stomach is soothed by images of waterfalls on the tropical island. The viewer is then plunged into the thick heat of a voodoo ceremony, a beautifully quiet burial ground, and finally into the bedroom of an isolated chateau, where an elderly white woman lies on her bed, ruminating about her motherly power over black children. When a troupe of young black boys arrives at the chateau, the colonial games of sex and race begin.
There is a muscular confidence and inspired dreamlike quality to Quay's filmmaking. He evocatively blends gorgeous imagery with an infectious musical energy to create a story that is largely free of dialogue and entirely visceral in effect. Eat, for This Is My Body is sure to trigger emotions and mark your imagination in mesmerizing and unforgettable ways.--© Sundance Film Festival