Narrated by Jamaica Kincaid based on her non-fiction book, "A Small Place," her familiar honey-toned voice captures the cadence of the islands. "If you come to Jamaica as a tourist, this is what you will see..." The camera then focuses on well-fed and happy tourists. They eat sumptuous meals. ("You'd be surprised to find out that every bite of food you eat comes off a plane from Miami.") They enjoy the view from their rooms ("You probably don't know that the sewage from the hotel is going straight into the ocean")
Basically though, this film is about economics and the changes that have occurred in the years since the British left in the 1960s and Jamaica had to borrow money from international lending institutions. Former Prime Minister Michael Manley describes how the interest is so high that it keeps the economy constantly in a debt that keeps growing. And Jamaican money is so devalued that it is cheaper to buy imports rather than produce them itself.
Just a few years ago, farmers got good prices from raising chickens and there was large plant to process them, giving people jobs. The factories are closed now and the farmers can't sell their chickens because of cheaper imports. Also, there is a special free trade zone where garments are put together for such companies such as Hanes. Everything is delivered to the factory pre-cut and ready to sew and the workers toil long hours for no more than $30 per week. During the course of the filming, even that factory closed to reopen in another third-world country where the labor might be even cheaper.
All this is contrasted with constant cuts to the tourists who are frolicking at the hotels and enjoying themselves in such silly games as beer drinking contests.
The film is done well, and the cinematography and direction are excellent. I was able to follow the points being made about the economic issues and, although I know I don't have enough background in the subject to really understand it completely, there was no doubt about how the economy is collapsing. Even their banana exports are being threatened. This film is definitely worth seeing.
