Kanaval

In the mid-1970s, against his mother’s advice, Rico, a 6-year-old boy with a mischievous smile and an overflowing imagination, escapes from the family home to take part in the colorful carnival of Jacmel, on the south coast of Haiti. Renowned throughout the country, this popular gathering is an extraordinary outlet against the dictatorship that rages at the heart of these troubled years.
Intoxicated by the musical rhythms of Kanaval (Carnival in Creole) at its peak, Rico does not respond to the appeals of his uncle who tries to bring him home. Wandering among the many festival-goers, he meets the different characters who have shaped the history of the Haitian republic, whether they are human (former slaves, politicians, natives), or inhuman (Lwas and the other various characters of Haitian mythology). Intoxicated with memories of that evening, he returns home.
Unfortunately, another reality catches up with him. His mother Erzulie is arrested and interrogated in the family courtyard by the men of the militia in the service of the state. In fact, this young intellectual is suspected of being an influential member of a group of resistance fighters who clandestinely campaign for the establishment of democracy in Haiti. Before the militia men notice his presence, Rico is grabbed by his uncle Seradieu and flies into his arms, only to land in another reality.