''Heading South'' () is a 2005 French-Canadian-Belgian drama film directed by Laurent Cantet and based on three short stories by Dany Laferrière. It depicts the experiences of three middle-aged

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

women in the late 1970s, travelling to

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

for the purposes of sexual tourism with young men. Their adventures (as seen in their eyes) are juxtaposed with class issues and the deteriorating political climate of Haiti at the time of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier. The women demonstrate different attitudes to the complex situation.Stephen Holden, �
Laurent Cantet’s ‘Heading South’ Shows the Ache of Blinding Lust in a Sexual Paradise Lost
” Movie Review, ''The New York Times'' (2006‑07‑07).

Plot

Ellen (

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress. An icon of the Swinging London, Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role of Meredith in the 1966 film ''Georgy Girl'', which starred Lynn ...

), is a professor of

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by French people, French citizens; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of Franc ...

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

who has spent six summers at a Haitian

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

where local young men and teenagers providing sexual companionship are easy to find. Among other guests, Brenda ( Karen Young), a stay-at-home wife from

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, and Sue ( Louise Portal), a warehouse manager from

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, feel lonely and ignored by middle-aged men back at home. They travelled to

to enjoy a holiday of sun, surf, and sex with attractive teenagers to whom they are financially generous; complicating their friendship is the fact that Ellen and Brenda both live for the attention of Legba (Ménothy César). It is only after an episode of violence disrupts their vacation that their eyes are finally opened to the callousness of their

hedonistic Hedonism is a family of philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of egoism, it suggests that peopl ...

actions, the suffering of the Haitian people and the political climate.

Cast

as Ellen * Karen Young as Brenda * Louise Portal as Sue * Ménothy César as Legba * Lys Ambroise as Albert * Jackenson Pierre Olmo Diaz as Eddy * Wilfried Paul as Neptune * Michelet Cassis as Charlie * Pierre-Jean Robert as Chico * Jean Delinze Salomon as Jérémy * Kettline Amy as Denise * Daphné Destin as Lossita * Guiteau Nestant as Frank * Michelet Ulysse as Bob

Accolades

*Nominated, Golden Lion, 2005

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

*Won, Marcello Mastrioanni Award, 2005

*Won, CinemAvvenire (Cinema For Peace) Award, 2005

References

External links

* {{Robin Campillo 2005 drama films 2005 films 2000s English-language films Films based on Canadian short stories Films directed by Laurent Cantet Films with screenplays by Robin Campillo French drama films Canadian drama films 2000s French-language films Films about prostitution Films set in Haiti Prostitution in Haiti 2005 multilingual films 2000s Canadian films 2000s French films 2000s Belgian films French-language Canadian films

Plot

Cast

Accolades

See also

References

External links