At All Kost (Koutkekout)
(Canada/Haiti, 84 min.)
Dir. Joseph Hillel
The theatre of life fuels a portrait of artistic engagement in At All Kost (Koutkekout). This study of arts and urbanism comes from Haitian-born, Montreal-based director Joseph Hillel (City Dreamers) and observes a handful of contemporary artists preparing for a festival in Port-au-Prince. The half-dozen or so actors and creators don’t take their work lightly. Cholera, civil unrest, and human rights fuel their dances, dramas, and performances. No subject is too hot-button. Their audience is equally engaged and hungry to see their lives reflected back to them. The event, appropriately dubbed Festival 4 Chemins, offers a point of intersection where art and life collide.
This slice of cinéma vérité focuses on a handful of creative types, notably Guy Régis, Jr. He’s the artistic director of Festival 4 Chemins, as well as an author and creator in his own right. Hillel observes as Régis connects with various artists preparing for the show. The artistic director provides the eyes and ears of the city as he works with the players to bring their ideas to fruition.
Some of the pieces, like the evocation of oral storytelling performed by Edouard Baptiste (aka Youyou), immerse audiences in Haitian vodou. Youyou draws upon the ceremonies performed by his mother, a vodou high priestess, and the teachings she shared to engage Haitians in the relationship between the present and the afterlife. These scenes have striking cinematic urgency within the modest observational style through which Hillel and cinematographer Nicolas Canniccioni capture the performances. Youyou has a commanding presence.
Also compelling is the work of Schneiderson René (alias Badou), who addresses social issues through contemporary dance. At All Kost captures his rehearsal process as he engages his body and sparing use of props to inspire audiences to think critically about human rights and representation. His work invites connections both emotional and intellectual.
Other acts in the festival are works in progress, such as a dramatic piece in which several acts appear connected by labyrinthine braids. It’s a messy affair, if a provocative one, and Hillel lets audiences see the workshopping of a performance to do a story justice. The actors realise that succinctness and clarity are key, as much as they love uses all the elements of costumes and elements at their blustery disposal.
Hillel, whose previously works have displayed a sensibility for the relationship between city dynamics and artistic inspiration, finds a slice of life approach to the story. As an arts doc, At All Kost might leave something to be desired aesthetically, especially since comparisons to the strikingly-shot recent festival hit Kite Zo A seem inevitable, but the no frills approach foregrounds the social issues that the artists seek to address through their performances. Some of the artistic acts translate better to cinematic space than others do, but the occasionally cramped frame speaks to the circumstances of production.
Meanwhile, a recurring motif views life outside the artistic circle like a surveillance camera from the roof. It grabs a peek of a woman as she walks by and tries to sell bread, along with other daily comings and goings that show how life continues in trying times. The show-must-go-on philosophy is at the heart of these creations.
At All Kost observes these rehearsals with a natural rhythm and an eye for daily life. A cycle develops as the camera returns to a gathering space at night where various artists unwind, debate their work, and address issues happening outside rehearsals. Although the camera rarely leaves the performance space, the stories don’t exist in a bubble. In part, that’s because the limited theatrical infrastructure in Port-au-Prince means that the artists sometimes rehearse in the middle of the streets. They choreograph their dances and adjust the tempos if cars need to pass. This is art born from the streets and rooted in the daily concerns of creators and audiences alike.
The legacy of artistic engagement is best expressed during its final moments. The artists gather around elder playwright Jean-Pierre Basilic Dantor Franck Étienne d’Argent, aka Frankétienne, as he shares some verse with them. The scene evokes traditions of oral storytelling as one generation passes on wisdom to another. The creative and poetic spark is palpable.
