For the opening night of the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, I saw Wah Do Dem, a film about a New York Hipster who gets lost in Jamaica during a port stop on a cruise ship. First of all, what is “Wah Do Dem” and what does it mean? It’s patois, kind of like Jamaican ebonics and it roughly means “What’s Wrong With Them” even though the filmmakers tacked on the English translation of “What They Do” for the masses. Either way, it’s Jamaican and describes the main character as he discovers the country of Jamaica and himself in this film.
The story starts in Brooklyn where the main character, Max, played by Sean Bones, wins a cruise for two to Jamaica. Days before the trip, his girlfriend, played by Norah Jones, who was supposed to accompany him on the cruise, dumps him. Max tries to find a replacement but all of his friends ditch him. But it’s a cruise right? There’ll be plenty of singles ready to mingle as he traveled down to Jamaica so he decides to go at it alone. Instead of young singles, Max is met with a much older crowd and starts hanging out with the staff of the cruise line instead. Needless to say, he starts getting a bit stir crazy and once the cruise ship docks, he’s ready to escape the tourist areas to find a bit of fresh air and the real Jamaica.
He gets picked up by a local and is taken to a private beach most people never see. He leaves his bag, goes for a swim in the ocean, and he’s having a great time until he realizes that all his belongings are gone. He gets into an argument with the locals who gave him a ride to the beach since they were supposed to watch his stuff for him. After the fight, the locals leave him and he’s now stranded. He has to figure out how to get back to the cruise ship but by the time he arrives, the boat has already sailed off. He’s stuck without any clothes or money in a country he knows little about. Now, he must make it to the U.S. Embassy on the other side of the country in Kingston so he can return home.
I really enjoyed the film, there were a few parts of the movie that dragged on a bit but as Max moved through the country of Jamaica, you get to see a really unique view of the island that’s generally passed over in most movies. You see the real country side of Jamaica and the real people that live there. The way the movie was shot is a story in itself. The filmmakers actually did win a cruise in a raffle and they decided to turn it into a movie so everything shot on the cruise ship was actually the cruise that they won. Two additional tickets were bought for the actors and sound recordist. The four of them made the film on the cruise ship and in Jamaica. As Max traveled from one side of the country to another, you get to see a few interesting stories of Jamaicans and you see how Max, the main character, adapts to his situation and perseveres. He finds himself through the music and culture of the people and transforms from a scared tourist to a guy who has had enough and just wants to get home but appreciates where he’s been and what he’s gone through. This is a very small independent film but worth checking out if it’s playing in your area. It’ll be playing a few festivals like the Los Angeles Film Festival where it won Best Dramatic Feature. You can check out more information on the film at their website: http://www.wahdodem.com/.
Tags: Los Angeles Film Festival, Norah Jones, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, Sean Bones, Wah Do Dem
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
