Julien Neaves, Caribbean Head Writer
Plot: Two young lovers from the warring Earth and Water Kingdoms seek to overcome impossible odds.
Review: One of the highlights of the recently concluded sixth edition of the Trinidad and Tobago Film and Folklore Festival was the short folklore film Terra & Naiara. Written and directed by Leslie Ann Wills-Caton (The Hike), the film stars Jarlon George (Mixed Up) as Earth Kingdom warrior Terra and Chelsea Pooran (Killing Columbus) as his Water Kingdom lover Naiara. It is Romeo and Juliet but set in an ancient and fantastical version of Trinidad, or rather what would become known as Trinidad.
The titular couple’s relationship is the heartbeat of the film and if this failed then everything else would fall down. Thankfully, the strong performances and elemental chemistry between George and Pooran make their forbidden love believable and all the more tragic. I must also praise the work of Gerry Clarke who adds a lot of presence and gravitas as Terra’s father Chief Gaia.
Also praiseworthy is the costuming and the practical makeup effects. The audience is truly transported to another time and a much more mystical place. The lore in Terra & Naiara is actually quite dense and involves Trini folklore characters Papa Bois and Mama Glo, but with the short runtime it does not really flesh the world out. Instead, we get a few hints and shades of who and what these characters are.
I think a few more lines and a couple more scenes could have helped in explaining things a bit more and making the climax less vague and more impactful. That said, Wills-Caton and her team still delivered a compelling and intriguing story of star-crossed lovers.
Editor Jules’ Score: 7 out of 10
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Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by the Cryptkeeper, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.