Tribeca 2023 Review: Konpa Is a Short Full of Vibes
Continuing my trend of shorts associated with an art form, Konpa is the story of Jean (Edson Jean), a young Haitian-American who learns how to dance Konpa to impress his crush, Minouche (Nagela Lukacs), despite being unable to speak Haitian Creole.
There's a lot to love here. It's a vibe from the opening shot, where Jean's bike almost slams into the cinematographer, Juan Camilo Barriga, to the end. It's a simple story: "guy meets girl, professes crush, learns to dance, and appreciates the world around him in the process." Okay, maybe a little more complicated, but as much of a vibe can be conveyed in nine minutes.
A big reason I enjoyed this short so much is the previously mentioned cinematography from Barriga. Most of the film, if not all of it, is shot on a handheld camera that places the viewer into Jean's journey to woo his crush, Minouche, and rarely deviates from this formula.
This translates well to the direction by Al'Ikens Plancher, which is similarly straightforward. It's not trying to do much outside of the central romance, and it works for a short that places that as the object of importance. That said, I could have used more on why Jean doesn't speak Creole or Haitian and what role COVID (masks everywhere, at least in the beginning) played in the story, but if I'm going to be honest, those are teeny problems for me.
Another teeny problem for me is that the vibes were not immaculate. Or in English, the music was too quiet in the mix for me to listen to, and with music being one of the vital parts of the romance between the two main characters, I would've loved to hear the music a bit louder in the mix.
Overall, Konpa is a decent short, but the story and mixing could've used some work, and I can't wait to see others' reactions once this eventually releases to the public.
★★★★
Konpa had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.
Until next time!
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