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Following Brenda (Karen Young — The Soprano's), we arrive at this sexual haven ruled by dame Ellen (Charlotte Rampling — The Night Porter, Swimming Pool), the queen bee of this resort where women from around the world can recapture a glimpse of their youth. Based on a couple of novels that Canted transposed to Haiti, Heading South examines prostitution from a woman's perspective while commenting on the influence of capitalism on third world countries. To be frank, as a guy in his 30's, I'm not sure how accurate Cantet's depiction of middle-aged female sexuality is, especially since this film and the novels that served as its source of inspiration are the works of men. Heading South is the male interpretation of a facet of women's sexuality and a woman's critical eye would certainly be more appropriate to review this film and assess its authenticity. Since Cantet's camera stops at the door of these women's rooms, the film is mostly a study of social interaction, which is the thematic foundation of the director's body of work (Time Out, Human Resources). While "Sea, Sex & Sun" isn't a new concept, what I learned watching this movie is that these women were still acting like a bunch a teenage girls fighting over the same guy — here Legba (Ménothy Cesar) is the object of desire. The only difference is that these women have substituted money over their their looks as a tool of seduction, but as for the rest, we see familiar teenage behaviors that include jealousy, rival groups, machinations and mean comments. One thing that the director brushes with without daring to go too far is underage prostitution as we can clearly see one of the women tempted to spend some time with a 12 year-old boy. Had Cantet have explored this theme, he would have given us a more interesting take on women's fantasies as underage sex is usually associated with men. Most social commentary here is provided through reflections from the characters realizing that they're taking advantage of the country. Unsurprisingly, the central character here is American, and you can easily see the metaphor comparing Legba to petrol. What's interesting though is that, rather than condemning, Cantet points out that both sides — the sexual tourists and the natives - are benefiting from this arrangement: capitalism certainly corrupts morally but since it's embraced, both the responsibility and the fruits are shared by the exploiter and the exploited. Style-wise, Heading South was shaped as a diary with chapters in order to create a documentary feel, which doesn't really work since it contrasts too sharply with some cheesy tonalities of the story. The director also tends to lose thematic focus through a repetition of beach scenes which unnecessarily lengthen the film. But with some fine and uncompromising acting and its look at a rarely seen universe, Heading South is worth the trip.
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