Haitian American filmmaker Monica Sorrell has a new full-length film showing at selected theaters nationwide that spotlights the gentrification of Miami’s Little Haiti community. Her movie, Mountains, chronicles the changing dynamics of this cradle of Haitian culture. The story is told through the life of Xavier, who finds himself participating in the demise of this tight-knit neighborhood.
Little Haiti’s rich history began when Haitian refugees fled poverty and political repression in the 1970s and 1980s during the reign of John Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier. The new immigrants were hopeful and managed to carve out for themselves a slice of the American dream – Haitian style. Sorrell has fond childhood memories of spending time in Little Haiti. The lively area was known for its colorful restaurants, storefront convenience stores, and botanicals along Miami’s Second Avenue. Back then, people sat outside their homes and stores as roosters strutted by.
After finishing film school in 2014, she noticed changes and returned to this cultural mecca. There were signs of gentrification creeping in. In other words, it was becoming a target of urban development that typically turns quaint, low-income neighborhoods into posh locales where the well-heeled come to live, play, and work.
One of the first signs of change Sorel noticed was how developers transformed the adjacent neighborhood of Wynwood into a wealthy arts and nightlife district. The young director says, “She started seeing a lot of the same developers that were working in Wynwood buying up properties in Little Haiti.”
On one occasion, she spotted a demolition worker walking across the street to a house. Then, a thought occurred to her. “What if he lives over there and crosses the street to demolish and redevelop his own neighborhood?” That question became the idea behind her film Mountains.
Sorelle joined forces with writer and producer Robert Colom. Together, they wrote the script and pitched the idea to potential financial backers. A Miami non-profit organization, Oolite Arts, supplied the initial financing for a micro-budget film featuring a Haitian-American cast. As the duo sought more funding from prominent production companies, they ran into a snag.
A New York-based company offered to invest 2 million dollars into making the movie as long as it was in English and featured stars. That was a no-go for the pair. Colom says, “To be able to tell an authentic story about an experience in Little Haiti, I think we had to do it in the way that we did.”
That meant making a movie that reflected the people and the culture. Even the movie’s title is inspired by a Haitian proverb, “Behind every mountain, there are more mountains.” All the dialogue is in Haitian Creole. Also, the film showcases an integral part of the culture known as rare.
This event is a spontaneous street parade with music celebrating Haiti’s revolt against French rule and winning its independence in 1804. People gather every Friday for this celebration, but it’s less common now, another sign of the neighborhood’s evolving landscape.
Mountains tells the story of the main character, Xavier, and his challenges as an immigrant adapting to a new country. In the film, he becomes frustrated with his inability to move his family into a bigger home. As a demolition worker, he faces the realities of helping to gentrify his beloved neighborhood.
Sorelle’s direction captures the heart and soul of Little Haiti as it goes through the unexpected: total erasure. The Haitian filmmaker has a philosophical outlook: “These are just buildings, after all. But I think what concerns me is that it’s disrespectful of what the Haitian community has given. And the minute is economically viable, there is no use for these people anymore.”
Sorelle’s film Mountains plays nationwide in select states, such as Florida, New York, and California. The official website has information on how to get tickets, book screenings, and view show listings.
