Guava Island is about making political revolution mainstream
I judge media based on how well it tests my listening skills. Today I’m giving Guava Island (2019) flowers for its attempt to goad me into seeing a love story, while beyond this mirage is a modern analysis of imperialist violence painted in 16mm cinematography.
Through the symbols represented by Deni, Kofi, Red, and the denizens of Guava Island, Guava Island tells a modern-day folk weaving allegorical parallels to existing real-life dynamics established by European world supremacy.
Film Summary
In the midst of a festival organized by protagonist Deni in protest of the island’s abominable conditions, he is assassinated in an attempt to quell the spirit of the islanders & dismay further rebellion against the island’s political and economic elite. The heart of this story lies in the analogy of Deni representing the hope within the islanders who dream of change. Deni liberates the feeling of freedom within everyone he interacts with. His counterpart Kofi seems to represent the power of the islanders collectively. Her spirit isn’t broken by Deni’s murder, leading to the unraveling of Red’s control system and the collective catharsis of the islanders.
It’s important to note how this story connects the themes of political and economic power. This is a story about class oppression that doesn’t rely upon the modifier of American racial history, yet is a deeply pro-black movie. Guava Island analyzes the economic oppression that’s at the root of global political racism exercised by NATO against marginalized people around the world.
Like most modern first-world political leadership, Red’s entire understanding of the world is rooted in fear. This fear is what drives him to maintain a facade of order and control over the citizens. This fear is what makes it so important to keep Deni caged by any means necessary, but because Deni is capable of protecting himself from the fear Red attempts to provoke from him, his death results in the exponential increase of his influence.
Fear is an essential part of any successful empire. On Guava Island, not only do citizens fear Red, they fear the consequences of divergence from Red’s system; this fear is weaponized to keep the population in control. Deni’s protest exhibition in the cargo loading dock attempts to execute this concept: Deni’s performance gradually annoys a worker who’s been successfully brainwashed by the dream of free-market success. The performance pushes the worker to the point where he takes it upon himself to report Deni for disturbing the peace. This is a predatory capitalist system in action: Two individuals at similarly low rungs of the economic ladder are turned against each other because of their differing perspectives of what their situation means. The factory worker represents a character with idealistic goals that he feels are best achieved by playing the game of the system. This presents an unfortunate paradox where he’s forced into a position of seeing Deni, a character who outrightly resents the system, as an enemy who is a threat to his own progress because his progress is dependent upon the stability of the system. This essentially divides any potential for unity among the working class, thereby making the ruling class stronger and more in control of both sides.
A major theme repeated in this story is the idea that America is a concept more than simply a location: America exists as "anywhere where in order to get rich, you have to make someone else richer". By the end of the film, Deni applies this law for his own purposes. By becoming a martyr for the sake of freedom, his wealth through the form of his legacy is cemented while he simultaneously enriches the souls of the islanders. Deni lived his life exclusively for his interpretation of freedom for the islanders; subsequently, this makes it impossible for Red to profit off of Deni’s death. Deni’s masterpiece was his success in becoming a teacher beyond simply a musician: His festival was a lesson that enlightened the islanders on what a successful protest looks like. As a result, Kofi and the islanders understood how to carry out his legacy appropriately and the conclusion of Guava Island sets the table for a conversation about the role of celebration as a critical part of mourning. Rather than grieve Deni’s execution silently, the collective pain and Deni’s massive reach provided an opportunity for the islanders to organize another protest, again utilizing the power of music in remembrance and celebration. Red’s intention for the death of Deni was to steal the people’s power from them. Ironically, Red is rendered powerless after realizing that Deni demonstrated the innate power the people held within themselves. By killing Deni, Red gave the people the opportunity to exercise this power through Deni’s example. Red’s number one strategy is stealing power. If that fails, his second strategy is buying it. His hold over the islanders is through stealing the power of their time and freedom. Red steals Deni’s power by forcing Deni to make music exclusively for Red’s enterprise. As Red begins to realize Deni taking his power back, he makes an attempt to purchase Deni’s power midway through the film by buying him off. Deni refuses the payout because it’s a divergence from his mission of liberation. Film producer Stephen Glover commented in a Huffington Post article that “the idea of Deni is really just looking at the major theme of capitalism and kind of the hero of that, the hero of a capitalist system.” Deni is the hero of a capitalist system because of his constant refusal to give or sell his power away. This stands in contrast to the man in the warehouse, who is willing to sell his power for the opportunity to realize his dream within the context of the capitalist system.
Film Analysis
When realizing that this story is an analogy reflective of modern-day neo-capitalist states; the film begs us to consider what side of the fence we stand on. Are we idealistic Deni’s who see the system and choose to rebel against it dynamically? Or are we the factory worker who has found appreciation for the opportunities that do exist and feels like the costs that come with them are affordable? Maybe instead we’re the children Deni observes in the abandoned sanctuary- children with similar gifts to Deni encouraged to take up the mantle and continue Deni’s mission in their own unique way. Or additionally, some of us might be Red’s soldiers, forced into an existence that stripped us of our independence & placed us in a position where the freedom that Deni embodies was constructed to feel so intangible that resentment for it grew until it became the natural enemy.
Shot in Cuba, Guava Island is cinematically stripped back with saturated colors on 16mm film. This creates a feeling of timelessness in a world that feels self-contained. Each piece of dialogue serves a purpose in narrating the story and each scene is layered with meaning. The weight of commercial responsibilities feels absent from this production, resulting in a film that’s an uncommon balance between linear and abstract.
The best part about this film is the way the story represents the intricacies of existence in a capitalist world system. Deni Maroon is a musician on Guava Island. Everyone on this island exists for the sake of adding value to Red. The exploitation of the citizens is a curse that Deni is able to break through his defiance against the system. This singular act of defiance unifies the people & leads to a revolution that Red is unable to control. In the midst of unwavering oppression, Deni’s sacrifice reminds the entire island of the power they truly have.
Red runs the island like a business, so the people aren’t citizens, they’re employees. Their lives aren’t theirs and in varying degrees, they’ve been forced to sell their souls to Red’s enterprise. As part of the propaganda machine, Deni’s role on the island is one of the closest to Red’s in terms of power and influence. This effectively makes Deni Red’s main competitor. A great way to handle business competition is by exploring opportunities for partnerships, thus making the oligarchical consolidation of power easier. Guava Island expands on this idea- Deni is exploited massively as a weapon to keep the public brainwashed. He turns around and uses it to the advantage of the public to the dismay of Red.
Guava Island is a natural extension of “This Is America”. The genius of its utilization in Guava Island is in how the role of the performer is reversed. In the original This is America video, one of the many possible interpretations of the creative direction includes the idea that public figures in celebrity positions like that of Donald Glover exist to serve the primary function of being a perfect distraction to more pressing issues. This being said, it’s difficult to pin down Red’s real-life parallel; in today’s society on our 51-state island, it feels like Red’s physical presence is less immediately identifiable yet possibly even closer to our hearts and minds than in Guava.
According to Stephen Glover, “The idea of Deni is really just looking at the major theme of capitalism and kind of the hero of that, the hero of a capitalist system.”
Capitalism is inherently about winning a war of ownership: Ownership of land, ownership of resources, ownership of ideas, and ownership of people. Deni’s character is a hero because he transmutes the paradigm and exposes the island as a banana republic where this war doesn’t have to exist. The collective power of the people of Guava Island is the antithesis of the labor machine; Deni’s death reminds the people that they have the power to end this war at any time.
This story isn’t perfect. Kofi feels underutilized as a character and it’s difficult to fully grasp what she symbolizes as a character beyond her role as Deni’s love interest. Nonetheless, we can make a vague connection between Deni’s external struggle and Kofi’s internal struggle but these questions are avoided in order to establish Deni’s mythos.
Guava Island’s stylistic decisions and its quiet, static pacing are a nod to a bygone era of Pan-African political filmmaking dominated by the likes of Djibril Diop Mambety, Gaston Kaboré, and Bassek Ba Kobhio. It’s inspiring to see a film like this available to an American audience, as its existence itself feels like a form of protest in the face of the constant exploitative violence the American film industry typically works hard to disguise.