"Ghett'a Life" Film Review

1. Who was your favorite character (s) from the film? Why?

My favorite character from the film was Big Toe. I mean, he is like the definition of best friend. He was always covering Derrick in order to help him achieving his dream, even when it was a dangerous thing to do because of the pression of the dons and the gangs. He also helped Dawn when she was injured, and even when Derrick was mad at him, he still supported his friend.

2. How does the film compare to the other Jamaican films from the 70s? (Besides visual effects, think about the plot and character development).

I think this film is more rich in its characters and its development. In the other movies, the main character was the most important and all the other characters were almost incidentals. Many of the characters of the others movies just appeared in a pair of scenes and had zero development. Derrick is the protagonist in this film, but I think there are a lot of characters more interestings and more developed than him. In the other had, I think the plot is way more understandable and legible, because in the other films it was a little confusing to keep up with the story.

3. How are woman portrayed in this film? Is it a little or big advancement compared to the films from the 1970's?

There is a pretty big advancement in the role of the woman in this film, compared to the other films we saw. Dawn Thompson was one of the main characters of the film. In fact the plot couldn't advance without his participation, unlike the other films in which the women played only secondary roles and weren’t very important for the development of the story. Dawn is a very relatable, charismatic and powerful character, a thing  we couldn't see in the other old jamaican films. The other female characters in the film are more like “this secondary characters”, but yet they are way more relatable and have much more participation compared to “The Harder They Come” and “Rockers”.