"Soup a pyé" or the bittersweetness of getting old in Guadeloupe
t/n : this review was published in French first on myinsaeng.com June 15th 2016.
As I googled tirelessly a specific Caribbean film (which I didn't find but I don’t lose hope, I’ll talk more about it in a future article), I came across “Soup a Pyé” [t/n: “Foot soup” in Kréyol] (2013). Directed and written by Karine Gama, this short film had won me over last year. The cinematography was a feast for the eyes as much as the delicious soup prepared by this adorable grandmother. I had been charmed but not moved because I had watched it with detachment. I'm trying to turn 2016 into my Phoenix year, so I was probably more receptive to the plot on my second viewing.
“A sensitive and audacious look on a grandmother who wants to keep cultural, family and social values alive.”
The description sums up perfectly the delicacy of this crowded but solitary slice of life. Personally, I didn't recognize myself at all in the family portrait, but I was really in symbiosis with the sound that multiplied by 10 the magic of the image. Those few minutes made me travel fifteen years back in time.
The voice of (Michel) Marvel*, so recognizable with his "byen bonjou la fanmi", was the background noise to the moments when we turned off the TV and let the radio set the rhythm of our tasks at home. It was the time when I used to sing Britney Spears’ songs, fall in love with boybands and thought I belonged to Destiny's Child. And yet, the boleros and biguine songs on the radio still lulled my heart on Sundays. If it wasn't our radio, it was the neighbor's radio that was playing for the whole neighborhood to hear…
And then, it was sometimes the day we stopped by my grandmother's. In fact, we could all see each other several times a week at her house. Sundays had a special atmosphere, though. The smell of the soup welcomed us on the veranda, which was swept one last time with a leaf broom before lunch officially began. Among all the cousins, uncles and aunties, one had to shout to be heard. Once everyone had eatned, it was time for my grandmother's nap and those who wanted to take advantage of those few hours of rest. In the evening, each family would go their separate way and carry the tupperware filled to the brim with soup as we promised to bring it back without fail the following week.
Proust had his madeleine, Karine Gama gave me “Soup a Pyé”. To find out more about the filmography of this young director from Guadeloupe, click here.
*Marvel is a famous radio host in Guadeloupe.