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Kidnapping Inc.

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Kidnapping Inc.
Promotional release poster
Directed byBruno Mourral
Written byJasmuel Andri
Bruno Mourral
Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.
Produced bySamuel Chauvin
Yanick Létourneau
Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.
Bruno Mourral
StarringJasmuel Andri
Rolaphton Mercure
Patrick Joseph
Ashley Laraque
CinematographyMartin Levent
Edited byBruno Mourral
Arthur Tarnowski
Music byOlivier Alary
Production
companies
Muska Films
BHM Films
Promenade Films
Peripheria Films
Backup Media
Distributed byFilmoption International
Release date
  • January 22, 2024 (2024-01-22) (Sundance)
Running time
107 minutes
CountriesHaiti
Canada
France
LanguagesHaitian Creole
French

Kidnapping Inc. is a 2024 crime comedy thriller film co-written and directed by Bruno Mourral in his directorial debut.[1] A coproduction between Haiti, Canada and France, the film stars Jasmuel Andri and Rolaphton Mercure as Doc and Zoe, two low-level gangsters in Haiti who are assigned the task of transporting the kidnapped son of presidential candidate Benjamin Perralt (Ashley Laraque) to their boss's headquarters, only for the plan to go awry when they accidentally kill the victim, and must set out to abduct lookalike Patrick (Patrick Joseph) to cover their tracks.[2]

The cast also includes Anabel Lopez as Audrey, the girlfriend of the murder victim who is trying to raise the ransom money, and Gessica Généus as Laura, Patrick's pregnant wife who was trying to get out of Haiti so that her child could be born in a safer and freer country but becomes a collateral tag-along to Patrick's kidnapping.[3]

Production

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Initial shooting on the film began in 2019, but had to shut down after just six weeks due to the political instability of Haiti at the time.[4] The COVID-19 pandemic then prevented a return to production in 2020.[5]

When production was slated to resume in 2021, it was further briefly delayed by the assassination of Jovenel Moïse,[3] but ultimately proceeded, only to then face an incident when three members of the film's crew were themselves kidnapped.[5]

Shooting was ultimately completed in October 2021.[5]

Distribution

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The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.[6]

It had its Canadian premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival,[7] and returned for the Montreal International Black Film Festival.[8]

Its French premiere took place at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival.[9]

Critical response

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The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

Vladan Petkovic of Cineuropa was the most positive, writing that "the film is a succession of ultra-kinetic set pieces, alternating with rapid dialogue segments that are often almost as entertaining as the car chases, shootouts and occasional slapstick moments, some of which happen almost too fast to register. Among the multitude of jokes and gags, some are excellently timed and executed, while some fall flat – but maybe they will not for local audiences. As for the actors, Mercure shines with his comedic chops and Andri lends a more contemplative, even melancholy, air to the buddy aspect of the movie."[2]

Siddhant Adlakha of IndieWire wrote that the film "lacks laughs, insight and personal ethos, thanks to its preoccupation with throwing as many half-formed jokes and soccer references onto the screen as possible. It never takes the time and care to carve them into something meaningful."[1]

Writing for Variety, Carlos Aguilar opined that "any film from a country with as scarce an output as Haiti is cause for curiosity, especially since it’s not a subdued, social realist drama of the kind typically sourced from developing countries to pad festival lineups. On paper, the idea to address social inequality and the corrosion of institutions by way of a potentially crowd-pleasing work of entertainment is sound, even daring, and that’s why the fact that the film’s many elements don’t amalgamate is a shame."[6]

Awards

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At Fantasia, the film won the audience gold medal for Best Quebec Film, over Hunting Daze (Jour de chasse) and Ababooned (Ababouiné).[10]

The film was selected as Haiti's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Siddhant Adlakha, "‘Kidnapping Inc.’ Review: A Haitian Comedy-Thriller That Crashes and Burns". IndieWire, January 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Vladan Petkovic, "Review: Kidnapping Inc.". Cineuropa, January 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Anthony Kaufman, "‘Kidnapping Inc.’: Sundance Review". Screen Daily, January 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Bill Brownstein, "Haitian filmmaker laughs to get through the horror". Montreal Gazette, September 27, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Christopher Vourlias, "Art Imitates Life in Sundance-Bound Abduction Comedy ‘Kidnapping Inc.’ After Three Crew Members Held Hostage During Production". Variety, January 12, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Carlos Aguilar, "‘Kidnapping Inc.’ Review: Haitian Crime Comedy Blends Politics and Thrills to Middling Effect". Variety, January 23, 2024.
  7. ^ Meagan Navarro, "Fantasia 2024 Adds Steven Kostanski’s ‘Frankie Freako!’ and More to Final Wave of Programming". Bloody Disgusting, July 3, 2024.
  8. ^ Félix Poncelet-Marsan, "Bruno Mourral témoigne de l’insécurité à Haïti avec son premier film, « Kidnapping inc. »". Qui Fait Quoi, September 30, 2024.
  9. ^ Fabien Lemercier, "The hunt for the Valois d'Or is about to kick off in Angoulême". Cineuropa, August 20, 2024.
  10. ^ Jeremy Kay, "‘Bookworm’ wins 2024 Fantasia audience award for best international film". Screen Daily, August 6, 2024.
  11. ^ Denton Davidson, "2025 Oscars: Complete list of Best International Feature Film submissions". Gold Derby, October 3, 2024.
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