Made In Jamaica Review

Made In Jamaica
Documentary looking at reggae and dancehall music in Jamaica throughout the decades.

by Anna Smith |
Published on
Release Date:

23 Oct 2009

Running Time:

109 minutes

Certificate:

15

Original Title:

Made In Jamaica

This documentary ostensibly examines the history of reggae and dancehall music in Jamaica, but it’s more of a mood-piece than an informative watch. Performance footage is intercut with interviews with musicians including Toots, Bunny Wailer and Bounty Killer. But there’s no real sense of direction: talking heads ramble about politics, guns and music without forming a clear picture.

The few women involved liven things up a bit — Lady Saw explains frankly how she decided to rap about sex in order to get ahead. But this is badly in need of a narration and a sense of place. As it is, despite the Jamaican locations, we fail to get a sense of the culture.

Shapeless in form but with the characters and talent on display, this is hardly important.
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