Haitian American writer-director Elisee Junior St Preux’s debut feature The Tropic Sun and His Eyes, both thematically and visually, brings Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight to mind.
It depicts the literal and spiritual journey of Ruben, an expat, as he travels to Haiti to visit his ailing father. It also serves as a coming-of-age story both for him and the orphan boy he befriends along the way.
There are striking visuals and an enchanting piano score accompanying the many lyrical moments. However, St Preux has more than poetry on his mind. He also wants to encourage embracing the Haitian culture, family, God, and moral integrity. It is during those scenes when the film feels a little too didactic and staged. It is also redundant at times and wrapped up in too neat a bow that works to its detriment.
St Preux has a good eye for visual storytelling and this is a promising debut, parts of which could have benefited from a rewrite.
