So, in my bid to watch at least one film from every country and territory in the world, I have arrived at Aruba, a small Dutch-owned island in the Caribbean, very close to Venezuela. As it happens I wasn't exactly spoilt for choice, as aside from a few short films this appears to be the only movie made in the territory.
To be blunt if this wasn't Aruban it probably wouldn't be worth watching. It's a fairly familiar rehash of Romeo & Juliet-cum-West Side Story, in which a fairly well-off Aruban girl meets a Latino immigrant boy from the wrong side of the tracks and they fall in love, much to their respective families' consternation - nothing you haven't seen a hundred times before. That said, considering its low budget, it's a nice cheerful little film, and it moves along at a reasonable pace. The story is broken up here and there with some Bollywood-esque love songs which are a tad cheesy, but then I don't like musicals. The thing I found most interesting about this film was the insight it gave into Aruban culture, which appears to be a mix of Dutch, Latino, English and Amerindian, with its own language (Papiamento - also spoken on neighbouring Curaçao, and Bonaire). Some of the music used is very good and adds nicely to atmosphere - much of it by noted musician Padu del Caribe, who also pops up in a brief cameo. The film explores to a degree some of the tension that exists between Latino immigrants and native Arubans and the economic hardships faced by these 'new Arubans'. Perhaps more could made of the island's unique features e.g. by setting some scenes in the colourful capital Oranjestad, or the starkly beautiful countryside, as most of the film take place in a rather bland suburb on the edge of town. Also some of the scenes do drag and the acting is not grade A calibre, but everyone involved seems to be enjoying themselves and do they well considering the limitations (I've bumped the score up a tad to reflect this).
Overall not a must-see by any means, but worth a watch if you have an interest in Aruba, or fancy watching a love story not set in New York for a change.
