Trinidad and Tobago Kidnap Movie Kills At Box Office
The Cutlass cutting it up after very successful debut in Toronto
Kidnapping is a
cottage industry in Trinidad. The Trinidad Guardian says that it “is a
crime so epidemic that Trinidad ranks second in the world only behind Colombia
for its rate of abductions”.
Trinidad is so synonymous with the crime that it is
not surprising that a kidnap movie made on Tobago has gained a global
following! Since its 2017 Canadian debut
in Toronto at the local Caribbean Tales Film Festival, The Cutlass has become
one of the most successful T&T feature films made.
“We've actually had a bit of news for The
Cutlass since we were in Toronto in September,” film producer Drew Umland
told the Caribbean Camera. “
“Independent films with a very limited
marketing budget really have an uphill battle trying to reach their
market. It truly is a grass roots effort. Showing The Cutlass at festivals like
Caribbean Tales FF in Toronto really makes a difference in helping get the word
out. We were overwhelmed by the turnout at the
screening and the support shown by the Caribbean community in Toronto.”
It appears that Toronto really kicked off
interest in the movie. “Probably the biggest news is that the film is now
available “On Demand” on most major
platforms throughout the US and Canada,” continued Umland. “This is a pretty
big deal for us, and for the Caribbean film industry. The movie is available on
Comcast, DirectTV, Dish, Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay, Xbox, Fandango Now, VUDU
and others. So we're pretty excited!”
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Pictured at right: Director Darisha J. Beresford and executive producer
Drew Umland posed at the fall Caribbean Tales Film Festival
photo by Stephen Weir
The
movie was made by two Trinidadian women, director Darisha Beresford and writer Darisha Beresford. The Cutlass is a dramatic thriller
about kidnapping set in the tropical wilderness of Trinidad.
Joanna (Tobago actress Lisa-Bel Hirschmann) reluctantly
takes a day off from caring for her sick father to hang out with her friends on
the remote beaches of Trinidad. But what was expected to be a much needed break,
suddenly becomes a terrifying turn of events when the group is robbed at gunpoint
by a crazed thief and Joanna goes missing.
Joanna finds herself isolated in a world of natural beauty as she musters the courage to emotionally battle the unsettled mind of her kidnapper. The Cutlass slices a path through the vines of intellect and delusion to explore the depths of mental strength, unforeseen sympathy, internal freedom and the human spirit.
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The opening credits for 107
minute movie say that The Cutlass is based on a true incident. “Out of respect for the privacy victim and the victim's
family we do not publicly discuss details regarding the identity of the
victim, “ Umland told the Camera.
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Although the actual crime is never
identified, the plot line is similar to the real-life 2005 kidnapping of Jade Solis in
the heavily forested Toco region of Trinidad.
Like the movie police reports place Solis with a group of friends at the guest
house having dinner, when a man armed with a cutlass and gun burst in. He took
money, cell phones and the granddaughter
of businessman Eric Solis.
Hundreds of soldiers, police and dogs
searched the forests before she was found walking along a path near the bush. Apparently no ransom was paid.
pictured above - actor Arnold Goindham plays the crazed kidnapper - production still.
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