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Good story, Not enough for a whole film

From my favorite movies..

A Disappointing Continuation

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

A very common complaint between the movies aficionados is that movies are going down and that there are not too much good films.For one sight,they are right...there are a lot of craps.But,for the other sight,they are wrong,because there are a lot of quality films which are sadly totally ignored because the genre,style and the abscesses of Hollywood ''stars'' make that the distributors think they will be an economic failure.So,the love for movies becomes in a work of a detective,which make the aficionados to look for occult masterpieces.I do that a lot of times.And The Agronomist is one of that occult masterpieces...an extraordinary film occult in the shadows.On this documentary,famous director Jonathan Demme(Philadelphia,The Silence of the Lambs)followed Jean Dominique(1930-2000),famous speaker in Haiti,during almost a decade.This film shows the effort Dominique did for helping his country between any other things.It cost me too much to get access to this wonderful film.I looked for it like in 30 video clubs until I could find it on a little video club.The Manchurian Candidate(2004),the film Demme did after this film,which is very mediocre,got a lot of publicity while this masterpiece is in the shadows.The Agronomist is a very touching tribute to a great man.I did not know too much about Dominique and this movie taught me a lot about him and the situation in Haiti.This film stayed in my mind for a long time and it left me thinking and,on modern movies,that's a miracle.The Agronomist is a magical,wonderful,touching and exceptional film which stays in the mind of the spectator.A masterpiece.Period.

From Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, The Manchurian Candidate remake) comes this documentary about Jean Dominique, a Haitian radio journalist and human rights activist who, from 1960 to his assassination in 2000, spoke out against the violence and dictatorships in Haiti, often resulting in his exile.The documentary spends a lot of time on Dominique's face, which usually might be a bit tedious except that Jean Dominique himself has quite an expressive and engaging face. When he talks, his smiles, glances, and movements are really very absorbing, and the man was a very interesting and wise person. It's almost odd to imagine someone like him arising out of the ashes of such a tumultuous country as Haiti.Haiti itself strikes an interesting character, being as it were one rife with violence and turmoil. This documentary analyzes the forty years Dominique experienced from behind a microphone and shows not only the personal tension, but the geopolitical issues (let's just say this movie isn't very nice to people like Presidents Reagan and Clinton).The first part of the movie itself is most important because it spends time showing the absolute need for media in order to maintain human rights. It's difficult to watch because it shows how much we take our media for granted and how shortsighted our media really are. While we bother our comfortable heads with issues of "objectively" representing "everyone's needs", some people are struggling to make sure their voice is heard and getting killed over it. Maybe it's a good thing we have nothing really to talk about, because it shows we're not in these people's situations.Anyways, a very powerful and inspiring documentary indeed, and one that's pretty well done despite the poor video quality. The background music and the focus on Jean Dominique's face make it very comfortable and friendly even as he's helping to reveal the issues he had to deal with. It's very good.--PolarisDiB

I spent quite a bit of time in Haiti when I was a child in the late sixties until the last time I went down there when I was in my early 20's, just after Baby Doc left the country. The memories are a combination of the most magical place on earth and the most tragic. I think many people who had contact with Haiti would say the same. The Agronomist is the story of a true Haitian hero and the ultimate price he paid for his passion to inform and enlighten the forgotten masses of people by running the only Creole radio station on the island. The tragedy is so many other well intention Haitians have paid the same price from a series of brutal dictators, who like usual have been supported and backed by other countries like the US and France (where you can see photos of Baby Doc on the ski slopes, while Jean-Bertrand Aristide got dropped in the middle of the Congo by our Compassionate Conservative idiots) The truth of the movie lies in fact then whenever there is a glimpse of hope some external events end up crushing it again and again. The film reminded me of my departed father, who had the guts to bring his family down to a magical place where its beauty is rivaled by its poverty. As a child I played in the streets with all the other children and blew any change I had on soda and chewing gum we would all share. You don't get that experience at Disneyland, thanks dad.

I saw Jonathan Demme's documentary at Cinequest 2004 last night. Wound up in the front row of a small theater (and for a film with subtitles, I *REALLY* advise against this), but I still am very glad I caught the film.Demme has taken some interesting side trips from his Hollywood career. Quite the "maverick" a phrase that Cinequest likes to tout. I sure would like to come across some old episodes of "Live from Off Center" as an example. I have seen Demme's Spaulding Grey (RIP), Talking Heads and bits of his Robyn Hitchcock documentaries...The object of his latest documentary, Jean Dominique radiates charisma. This is amplified by clever repeat cutting at times (Dominique sniffing trouble in the wind, Dominique mouthing the machine gun rat-a-tat-tat of soldiers shooting at the radio station he ran in Haiti, Dominique emulating creole non-verbal utterings yet laced with meaning.)Dominique's exuberance may put some off, as his flair runs towards flamboyance; however for me it simply made for a very engaging hour and a half. In addition to interviews with Dominique directly, we are also treated to footage from his earlier attempt at a career in film. Footage of the mud ritual at Saut d'Eau was spellbinding for me. Other sadly familiar shots of violent rampaging on the streets of Haiti are kept mercifully minimal, but strong enough to disturb the viewer.And indeed, we should be disturbed. The details of Dominique's efforts are sadly all too lacking. We get a cursory indictment of an American cowboy president, "you know him?" Dominique questions with a grin. An alignment with peasants in the outlying areas and Dominique is shown and supported. I was confused by problems importing ethanol as a beverage, versus the locally produced clairin. (I've since learned that some people and senators, drink ethanol straight without gasoline mixed in).There is an all-too-short radio interview with Aristide (who as of this writing has recently been removed again from power in Haiti).We sense Dominique's aggravation with the situation, but never come near what he would propose as a solution. There are blanket statements against say the bourgeoisie that made me curious. How large is said class? Is not Dominique a member of it? Maybe as a reporter he attempted to never cross that imaginary line of subjective versus objective reporting? That does not seem likely. I wish we had seen and heard more from him (and that interview with Aristide, and one with Charlie Rose, etc...)Perhaps Demme meant this strictly as an homage to a man and his family. His wife and daughter and sister all add interesting anecdotes to the film. Or maybe Demme just offered this to spur further interest in Haiti. I do not know enough, I remain stupefied that the Dominican Republic can share an island with Haiti but not share the strife. And thanks to this film, I did some poking around and learned about the story of Mackandal. Amazing!Ultimately for me, the film certainly did insure the importance of a free press.....and radio and internet and other public media. I was buoyed by Dominique's grin and general enthusiasm, despite the grim history of Haiti. The way he seemed to feed off his outrage and not be overcome by it was fascinating to me.Both form and certainly content garner a 7/10