Heading South by Laurent Cantet, The Hills

I really liked this movie. It was upsetting at times but the performances esp. Charlotte Rampling, Karen Young (the FBI agent who was Ade's handler on the Sopranos), and the newcomer Menothy Cesar were excellent.

The movie is based on the short stories of Haitian author Dany Laferriere. Three middle-aged women traveling from North America meet at a high-end lush private resort in Haiti. It's 1978 and Baby Doc's Haiti is in the middle of turmoil. However, everything is chill at the resort.

The women feeling invisible at home, revel in the attention they get from the young, gorgeous local men. Two of the women are in love with the same 18 year old, Legba (Menothy Cesar) but they really don't know anything about his life beyond the resort. The local men are happy to get presents, attention, and money.

The movie asks many questions. Is it what the women do exploitation? What impact do the tourists have on the people who lived there full time? I just read an article about vacations that mostly British, American, and Canadian women go on to get their groove back. Everyone knows the game. The women (usually 30 and up) and the locals act like they are "dating" but the real deal is the women are paying for sex. The article interviewed several women who go every year to the same Jamaican beach. Some of the women continue to send men money once they are back home.

Why are the majority of these women are British and American? Why aren't French, Italian, German etc. women doing the same in larger numbers?

The Hills - I watched it last night because Andre Leon Talley was on it. This show is hilarious. Spencer is such, like, a jerk.