I am on here to speak about the film Mary Jane as an audience member and not a filmmaker. I walked into the theatre feeling that way because not only was the theatre in fact a true theatre, but the performers in the film took me into their lives and I was lost in the story within the first 5 minutes. To start off I would like to say that the writer/director did an in depth character study before taking on this subject. You can see the character Mary Jane transform after being abused. She had all the mannerisms and emotions that I would expect from a child abuse victim. Then you noticed how all the other characters transformed after realizing something is off with her. The story was well thought out and the shots where created with precision. This film is very intelligent and doesn’t hold back on true emotions. What I really enjoyed was that the camera didn’t move unless there was a purpose. For example there is a scene when MJ was sitting with her father and they where both letting out emotions to each other (father verbal, MJ none Verbal) and the camera did not move or change angles for about 4 minutes. I think that was brilliant because I was sitting there looking at raw emotions and camera tricks where not needed to make me feel like I was there. That is great performances on all ends of the production spectrum. The cinematographer and director knew that it would be risky, but understand the psychology in doing so. We need more films like this in the world. This is true story telling. No CGI. No million dollar budget, just true story telling. I also talked about this film days after. I am happy our community is starting to create art for the world to see and not just our community. Let us let the world see our talents.

to Samantha Louis..you gotta be kidding me..did we watch the same trailer, my God. Lala trailer got more kick than this, dont get me Started with The Birth of an Assassin, have you seen SonSon. The trailer wasnt that captivating. Now its ok to boost up the move, clearly youre a fan and to be honest the movie was nice but dragged a lot,nice because it was a different story that most people or movie maker would stay away from. But be really careful on how your putting yourself up while dragging others down because theirs plenty of great haitian movie outher for you not to insult other people intelligence when saying their wasnt hope for the haitian industry befor mary jane..you need to take that insulting comment back.im furious with, every body thinks their movie is the best, no its not..mary jane is slow to develop, it felt like a soap opera that unfolded under one roof, with just the main characters,im happy with the over all because it was a nice story ..no where near the best…go watch the following movie,….sonson,pluie despoir,nathalie,the birth of an assassin,cafe au lait, cousine,oasis,le president a til le sida, most jean gardy film, most of reginald lubin film,sachat parisot film,richard senecal film,raynald delerme,samuel vincent,tutu demosthe,mora etienne. etc…please get serious and take your insult back..these guys are all haitians, not creole.

Hahaha at “Regine” I guess another filmmaker feelings got hurt. Every one is entitled to their opinion. Why you so mad? And lala? Are u serious???

Mary Jane the movie is a great film. I’ve watched quite a few independent films and this film to me can stand on its own with the best of them. More than having great entertainment value, the film did a good job in bringing to life the issue of sexual abuse. It was able to convey the turmoil that sexual abuse can bring and how it affects not only the individual being abused but in some cases entire families and communities.

The film was good in the way that, it was not predictable. Many of the choices made creatively were not expected. Some people may like this and others may not, but that just depends on each individual’s taste. Personally, that is what I loved most about the film- the fact that I never really knew what would happen next. The actors were also very skilled and seemed to have embodied their character. Many independent films can seem staged and more like plays, but not this one. Every scene was meticulously planned out and appeared to flow seamlessly into the next- allowing the audience to feel like they were part of the film.

To every masterpiece there is always room for improvement, so this review would not be a good one if improvements were not suggested. In regards to this film, the only thing I would recommend improving is related to audio. There were a few minor audio level inconsistencies in some of the scenes of the film. However, this issue was not big enough where it totally disrupted the film or took away from it theatrically. Nonetheless, if this is fixed, it would only help make the film better!

Special recognition should be given to the writer behind this film. Anyone can write a script, but only a select few people can bring originality to something that has been done before. There have been films about sexual abuse, but none like this one. This film was produced in such a way that it was able to captivate the attention of the audience and make the issue of sexual abuse relevant to each viewer. What I also found ingenious about the film is that each scene portrayed an emotion or event that I’m sure at least one sexual abuse victim can relate to, allowing the film to be able to paint a complete depiction of the issue of sexual abuse. As a result, Mary Jane does not just represent a single abuse victim, but instead gives a voice to all sexual abuse victims.

Overall I think the film did a great job in combining the right levels of drama, suspense, creativity and realism to create a piece that is truly original and stands out from all other films of this nature.