On the Other Island: Depeyize

The narrative short DEPEYIZÉ, opens with a young Haitian boy, Mikael, falling asleep, cradled by his mother as she serenades him with a lullaby. His mother describes a vast and dangerous journey across the sea to reach a wonderful homecoming. In her song, she describes the waves swallowing them, yet it is not a depiction of fear, but love. What matters most on their voyage is simply that they are together. Depeyizé translates in English as “to expatriate, to leave one’s country, to feel strange, out of place.” Residing as immigrants in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, the mother and son are divided when the mother is unexpectedly taken away by immigration authorities. The film offers a lens into the experience of marginalized immigrants from the perspective of children coping with loss as a result of migration policy. 

Mikael encapsulates the essence of boyhood: playing basketball, trying to fit in with the older boys, and seeking gentleness from his mother. A fish out of water, Mikael must not only navigate the challenges of adolescence, but also his cultural identity during his devastating familial crisis. Yeison, an older boy he plays basketball with, takes him home and looks after him. This immediately causes tension within Yeison’s family since Mikael is Haitian, creating an uneasy environment and uncertainty about the situation. Even though the Dominican Republic and Haiti share an island, there is a political separation resulting in racial divides. 

As the story explores different attitudes within and beyond Yeison’s family, we see an overarching battle between obligation for neighbors in need and a powerful cultural divide. Mikael, who is only a boy, must decide his next course of action and take responsibility for himself. The film humanizes the subject of immigration through the perspective of a little boy longing for his mother. Images of the ocean, of Mikael’s contemplation, and the sound of her lingering voice emotionally captivate the audience. The film portrays the trauma Mikael and many other families have faced, as they ask themselves where to go and what to do next. Intertwining adolescent naivety with household instability, DEPEYIZÉ distills the political into the personal, revealing how the consequences of immigration policies reverberate in the inner world of a child and serves as a reminder of the implications and impacts of displacement.