Written and directed by Katia Café-Fébrissy, in an effort to reconnect with her family, a Canadian filmmaker returns to her ancestral home of Guadeloupe to discover families torn apart over land inheritance—a relic of French colonial legacy that continues to fracture Guadeloupean families today.
There are plenty of things to enjoy about INDIVISUM: Legacies Adrift but unfortunately, its weakest moment of the entire documentary both tonally and stylistically is the opening. It was a strange choice, though it does reflect how Katia Café-Fébrissy brings an artistic, interpretative touch all throughout the film. It may not be a strong introduction but stick with it as what follows is a thoughtful, interesting, creative exploration of inheritance, the lingering impacts of colonialism slavery, and family rifts.
Given that this is such a personal journey for Café-Fébrissy, as well as looking at the bigger picture of land inheritance, it makes a lot of sense for her to inject a lot of emotion. Some of those choices are more impactful than others but you can sense that she wanted to communicate how these issues haunt the inhabitants of Guadeloupe. Café-Fébrissy builds a strong, captivating atmosphere which can match the energy of those artistic touches. They never feel out of place, even if there is an argument to be made of whether bringing a bigger investigatory style to INDIVISUM: Legacies Adrift may have been beneficial to up the tension. Especially as the score (by Janal Bechthold) often veers into that territory in very dramatic fashion.
However, it does need to be acknowledged that Katia Café-Fébrissy had a hand in so many different elements of INDIVISUM: Legacies Adrift, serving as writer, director, producer and cinematographer. Making sure to hold onto the intimacy of the topic, and truly give it a personal touch. Although, the documentary is at its strongest when it keeps things simple, following the conversation between the director and her mother. Her mother makes for such a wonderful subject, she’s utterly honest and though this dredges up a lot of painful memories, she always seems content. It’s refreshing to see someone having made their peace with the problems of the past, accepting that some things are out of their control, and only concerning themselves with the present, it feels very healthy.
INDIVISUM: Legacies Adrift balances an intimate story of family division with a wider look at the issue of inheritance and land rights in Guadeloupe. It’s a captivating blend, moving through different tones, some more creative and artistic, and others in a traditional documentary style. Its biggest strength is the conversations between Katia Café-Fébrissy and her mother, she’s blunt, honest and keeps things simple. It’s touching to watch the two of them have open conversations about their family’s problems, as they’re swathed in the wonderful natural backdrop. Café-Fébrissy creates a strong presence and atmosphere, it acknowledges the bigger picture but comes from a personal place, it has the right level of emotion and makes for a very interesting debut feature.
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