** The reality portrayed: “Zion”, between paternity and urban violence **
In the darkness of an obscure room of the Abymes, applause explodes at the end of “Zion”. A good slap on the set of Caribbean cinematographic art, a vibrant cry of local intensity. This first feature film by Nelson Foix was able to capture the heart and soul of Guadeloupe, but the painting is nuanced, tinged with multiple shadows. The film, co -produced by Jamel Debbouze, is not just a simple work of entertainment; It is a rallying cry, a raw representation, a distorting mirror of the daily reality of young people from the cities.
At first glance, the bright success of the feature film, with nearly 66,000 admissions in just two weeks, seems curiously positive. But, behind this euphoria, a question arises: why this burning need for representations even though these stories, these struggles, are often relegated to the news of the newspapers? Faced with this popularity, we are tempted to ask ourselves: “Zion” is a real revealing of problems and sufferings, or is he just erecting a new cinematographic stereotype?
By plunging into the story of Chris, a young man in the grip of street violence and confronted with the unexpected paternity of an abandoned baby, “Zion” hits hard in hard. This image of abandonment and emerging heroism resonates with a culture which, for too long, has been determined by simplistic and uniform stories. “Young people live complex realities,” said the filmmaker, well aware that each applause at the end of the projection can be darken by a more cynical reflection. Does this film embody everyone’s voice? Or does it only show a facet of a rich and diverse world?
The issues of violence, unemployment and poverty are anchored in the Guadeloupe daily life, but the way they are told. Instead of being content to portray the incomplete realities, Nelson Foix, armed with his camera, chooses to plunge into the bowels of this social discomfort, showing an environment that transpires authenticity. But at what price? Sudden enthusiasm creates an inevitable cohabitation between the celebration and the fear of an escalation. The actors, from this environment, are both heroes and characters from an often tragic story. The question that arises is that of legitimacy to tell certain stories, to give a voice to the voiceless, without falling into voyeurism.
The wild casting has indeed been talked about, but this approach raises another insidious question: if these actors really embody the “real” of the life of the cities, are they not also exhibited specimens, reduced to their painful experiences for the needs of a story that is authentic? This in-between is delicate, and here we are faced with an essential tension for reflection. Are the protagonists of “Zion” witnesses, or victims of a narration that goes beyond them?
Beyond these considerations, the critical and popular reception rebates the cards of a syndrome already well known in the overseas community: that of the quest for recognition in the face of a French society which, by its silences, feeds the clichés. The influx of spectators in theaters attests to a mirror game, but does this mirror reflect a global image, or only the one we want to see there?
While we are preparing for its national release, we feel a crucial question: will the film manage to transcend the borders of France and to initiate a sincere dialogue on these complex realities? Anticipation is palpable, and the words of the producers reveal a certain fear in the face of reception in mainland France: “We cannot predict the success it will obtain,” says Laurence Lascary.
Could the diaspora, fond of bearing stories, contribute to this exchange? “Zion” is a work not to be missed, but rather than a simple assessment in figures, it would be wise to dwell on the resonances it can cause. This film, both denunciation and search for redemption, highlights a municipal quest: the reappropriation of its history, under layers of life, trials and rebirth. Can yesterday’s applause turn into lit discussions tomorrow on these themes that still burn under the ashes of a spent spent between denial and recognition? In this context, the success of “Zion” could well be the first step towards a release, or a simple end clap on a story that we like to see, but that we still struggle to feel.