Sunday Matinee: Lalo’s House [Short]

“Lalo’s House, inspired by true events of child trafficking in Haiti (as well as its pervasive spread throughout the US and around the world), follows the relentless courage of Manouchka,’ a 14 year-old Haitian girl, and her little sister, Phara, who are abducted and thrown into an underground prostitution network posing as a Catholic orphanage. Forced to grow up prematurely, Manouchka must fight to save Phara and escape the villainous Sister Francine (portrayed by Garcelle Beauvais) who holds them captive.” – Integrated PR

Wow. Just. Wow. I have watched some pretty riveting and nerve-racking films in the past year alone, but I have to say that Kelley Kali’s brilliant short film Lalo’s House really reaches an emotional depth that conjures up feelings of pain, sympathy beyond expression, and mostly just some straight up disgust. With extremely powerful performances throughout the film and fact based story lined that is simply shocking to the core when you think about the fact that this sort of thing is happening on a daily basis.

Newcomer Jasmin Jean-Louis proves herself to be a natural talent in conveying pain through the art of performance. Her eyes alone carry the story line through such horrific events in a brilliant manner. And legendary actress Garcelle Beauvais gives a powerhouse performance in a way that I have never witnessed. To describe Sister Francine as simply “villainous” may be a bit of an understatement. This woman is evil in human form, and Beauvais plays it absolutely perfectly. And to be perfectly frank, I had the biggest crush on Garcelle in the 90’s, and now hear I am wishing the worst upon Fancy from The Jamie Foxx Show. Damn, she is so good!

Filmmaker Kelley Kali may be new to the world of filmmaking, having recently graduated from USC with a Student Academy Award and DGA Student Award in hand for this incredible film, but she obviously has pariah like level of talent that is on a whole different level than what we are used to seeing in storytelling on the screen. She has created magic with Lalo’s House, a film that is guaranteed to leave you wondering what the hell is wrong with the world. And hopefully inspire you to assist in combating such evil. Kali is “motivated to create content that addresses issues within often marginalized communities by using the art of filmmaking to create dialogue and action towards positive change”. And I have a great feeling that this is something is will absolutely be doing in the very near future. If Lalo’s House is just one example of the greatness she can accomplish, there is nothing this brilliant filmmaker can not accomplish.

Lalo’s House is currently dominating in the film festival circuit. Be on the lookout for an official release date that will be coming soon.