Must See!: Ghett’A Life (A Jamaican Film) – Reviewed by Dante Hillmedo

I haven’t come across many movies lately that actually built up emotions within me throughout the movie and also create a great sense of victory for finally overcoming a struggle. Ghett’A Life was very refreshing in many ways. Maybe it’s because of my Jamaican roots, or maybe the movie was just well put together, but this movie has now jumped up to what I would say one of my favorite movies. It kinda reminds me of Sarafina in a way, but this is a struggle that still continues on in Jamaica. For those not aware, political campaigns in Jamaica are often violent. It’s usually one party against another and it creates separation among the people who then shun those who aren’t supportive of their party. This divide causes a lot of tension to rise and many lives are lost along the way over something that should be productive. I think Ghett’A Life conveys this very well. The movie’s about a teenage boy who becomes interested in boxing, though the gym he ends up training at is on the opposing party’s territory, despite opposition from his family, friends, and the tension of the political party divide, he seeks to become a national boxing champion for Jamaica as a whole. The movie does have a few moments where you’re like “ok, that was a little cheesy” but for the majority of the film, you definitely connect and struggle with Derrick, the main character of Ghett’A Life. The character development was done greatly in this film, you definitely become attached to a few of the characters and get a great sense of the bond they build despite the struggles being endured. It’s the first film in a long time where I found myself internally rooting for the main character and the soundtrack does a lot do create that boost in spirit and also a great feel of Jamaica. Once again, I highly recommend you to check out this film, I believe you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Check out the trailer for “Ghett’A Life”