La Source

2012
8.4| 0h30m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 21 June 2012 Released
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Budget: 0
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In La Source (pronounced lah-soos), Haiti water does not come easily. Each day, villagers of this small, rural community must choose between enduring a long, treacherous walk to retrieve clean water or drink contaminated water from a nearby river. For over 30 years, the villagers have attempted to address this problem by constructing a means of channeling the water from a natural spring in the mountains, but with limited funding and an unsupportive government their attempts to provide clean water were to no avail. Since he was a teenager, Josue Lajeunesse, along with his brother Chrismedonne have dreamt of remedying this problem for their people. In 1989, Josue moved from La Source to New Jersey where he found employment as a custodian at Princeton University. His custodial work and second job as a taxi driver, which total close to 20 hours a day, allows him to send money home to La Source so that he and Chrismedonne...

Genre

Documentary

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Cast

Director

Patrick Shen

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La Source Audience Reviews

Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.
Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.
Cameron McAllister A lot of visual contrast is prominent within "La Source." In Haiti, the white sands contrast with the seemingly ever-ominous skies; while in Princeton, we see the deep grays and browns of the brick and stone frosted with thick snow and ice. Then there is the cultural contrast between the affluent students of Princeton and an immigrated janitor, working hard and still having to double as a taxi driver. Even greater, we contrast these two places against each other. They are both home to Josue Lajeunesse, a Haitian national who moved to America in 1989 seeking better opportunities to provide for his family.His hometown, La Source (pronounced La Soos), is a remote village on the outskirts of Port- au-Prince. Two sources of water exist in La Source; one is a polluted stream shared by man and animal, the other is a natural spring high atop a mountain. The treacherous hike up and back down the mountain forces many residents to resort to bathing and gathering water in the stream, typically resulting in skin infections and diarrhea. In the wake of the January 2010 earthquake, Lajeunesse renews efforts in the plan that he and his father before him had begun in order to pipe water down the mountain and into the heart of the village."La Source" is a real life fairytale, where a once hopeless romantic ideal catches fire and ultimately, the dream comes true. Every fairytale is marred by some tragedy, but the tragedy here is the kind of devastation that forever changes a landscape. When Lajeunesse arrives in Haiti for the first time in years, and the first time since the earthquake, your heart has nothing else to do but break. The devastation and rubble reflects off of Josue's formerly stoic face. Seeing pictures or footage is nothing compared to watching someone return to the ruins of their home.The rallying around of Lajeunesse by different charities, ministries and the students of Princeton is stirring. The crafting of the picture does a great job of telling the story from every setting. Once again, filmmakers Patrick Shen and Brandon Vedder ensure that contrast is an omnipresent and multilevel theme throughout the film. Don Cheadle lends his compassionate voice as the narrator, which should thankfully play well in marketing the film.When the kids of La Source rush the faucet as water gushes out for the first time, I thought of kids rushing the buffet table at a church potluck before any of the adults. How impactful, though, the struggle and fulfillment over something as basic as water. I'm hardly ever moved to tears by film, but I find it appropriate that my tears would be propelled by a story about water. "La Source" is a meaningful film. While it has a ways to go to get the word out, I would not be surprised if the good will towards Haiti brought the film enough awareness to garner a worthy Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature.4 out of 5 stars.Check out more reviews by Cameron McAllister at Reel Georgia - www.ReelGA.com