TIFF 2016: Our Review of ‘The Skyjacker’s Tale’

Posted in Festival Coverage, Movies, Theatrical, TIFF 2016 by - September 06, 2016

TIFF Docs

 

When in doubt always assume that the truth is usually stranger than fiction.

The Skyjacker’s Tale; is a story that is equal parts tale of a horrible true crime and a one of a social and political injustice that has happened far too many times.

It’s the small island of St. Croix nearly 44 years ago and business was booming as the colonization of the island by a predominately white and affluent businessmen begin to invest in everything that the island had to offer.  However political and social tensions were at an all time high after the Fountain Valley Massacre where 7 of the 8 victims were rich and white.  The culprits were identified as radicalized political leaders on the island and after a quick and very contentious trail, these men were locked away.  This is the story of Ishmael Labeet, the man who got away by hijacking a plane to Cuba in 1984.

Director Jamie Kastner deftly gives us all sides of the story; the political with all the multinational corporations and the money that they bring adding pressure and the social side which saw very little of this boon of cash actually make it to the people who lived there.  Kastner uses a lean and mean format here, allowing for this story to remain entertaining without being preachy.

This film is ultimately a nice palette cleanser for anyone in the thick of a festival looking for something that is both entertaining and social relevant at the same time.

This post was written by
David Voigt is a Toronto based writer with a problem and a passion for the moving image and all things cinema. Having moved from production to the critical side of the aisle for well over 10 years now at outlets like Examiner.com, Criticize This, Dork Shelf (Now That Shelf), to.Night Newspaper he’s been all across his city, the country and the continent in search of all the news and reviews that are fit to print from the world of cinema.

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