Kidnapping Inc. - Official Trailer (2025) Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Anabel Lopez

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Kidnapping Inc. - Official Trailer (2025) Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Anabel Lopez

Tasked with what appears to be a simple abduction for hire, two hapless kidnappers find out that it’s anything but and end up in the middle of a political conspiracy.
Director Bruno Mourral’s career has been a slow brew since 2006. After finally making headway with the 2017 award-winning feature drama, Kafou, Mourral came back with a vengeance to hand festivals his latest crowdpleaser, Kidnapping Inc., garnering critical acclaim after Sundance, as well as the Gold Audience Award for Best Quebec Feature the 28th edition of Fantasia last year.

As of Wednesday, Kidnapping Inc. is poised for release in the U.S. on February 7 from Dark Star Pictures. The film stars Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Anabel Lopez, Ashley Laraque, Gessica Geneus, Patrick Joseph, Manfred Marcelin, and Marcus Boerean. Mourral directs from a script he wrote with Andri, and Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau, and also produces alongside Mirambeau, as well as Samuel Chauvin, Yanick Letourneau, and Gaëthan Chancy.

Tasked with what appears to be a simple abduction for hire, two hapless kidnappers find out that it’s anything but and end up in the middle of a political conspiracy

Watch the trailer below:
Kidnapping Inc.

Promotional release poster
Directed by Bruno Mourral
Written by Jasmuel Andri
Bruno Mourral
Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.
Produced by Samuel Chauvin
Yanick Létourneau
Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.
Bruno Mourral
Starring Jasmuel Andri
Rolaphton Mercure
Patrick Joseph
Ashley Laraque
Cinematography Martin Levent
Edited by Bruno Mourral
Arthur Tarnowski
Music by Olivier Alary
Production
companies
Muska Films
BHM Films
Promenade Films
Peripheria Films
Backup Media
Distributed by Filmoption International
Release date
January 22, 2024 (Sundance)
Running time 107 minutes
Countries Haiti
Canada
France
Languages Haitian Creole
French
Kidnapping Inc. is a 2024 crime comedy thriller film co-written and directed by Bruno Mourral in his directorial debut.[1] A coproduction between Haiti, Canada and France, the film stars Jasmuel Andri and Rolaphton Mercure as Doc and Zoe, two low-level gangsters in Haiti who are assigned the task of transporting the kidnapped son of presidential candidate Benjamin Perralt (Ashley Laraque) to their boss's headquarters, only for the plan to go awry when they accidentally kill the victim, and must set out to abduct lookalike Patrick (Patrick Joseph) to cover their tracks.[2]

The cast also includes Anabel Lopez as Audrey, the girlfriend of the murder victim who is trying to raise the ransom money, and Gessica Généus as Laura, Patrick's pregnant wife who was trying to get out of Haiti so that her child could be born in a safer and freer country but becomes a collateral tag-along to Patrick's kidnapping.[3]

Production
Initial production on the film began in 2019, but had to shut down after just six weeks due to the political instability of Haiti at the time.[4] The COVID-19 pandemic then prevented a return to production in 2020.[5]

When production was slated to resume in 2021, it was further briefly delayed by the assassination of Jovenel Moïse,[3] but ultimately proceeded, only to then face an incident when three members of the film's crew were themselves kidnapped.[5]

Shooting was ultimately completed in October 2021.[5]

Distribution
The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.[6]

It had its Canadian premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival,[7] and returned for the Montreal International Black Film Festival.[8]

Its French premiere took place at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival.[9]

Critical response
The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

Vladan Petkovic of Cineuropa was the most positive, writing that "the film is a succession of ultra-kinetic set pieces, alternating with rapid dialogue segments that are often almost as entertaining as the car chases, shootouts and occasional slapstick moments, some of which happen almost too fast to register. Among the multitude of jokes and gags, some are excellently timed and executed, while some fall flat – but maybe they will not for local audiences. As for the actors, Mercure shines with his comedic chops and Andri lends a more contemplative, even melancholy, air to the buddy aspect of the movie."[2]

Siddhant Adlakha of IndieWire wrote that the film "lacks laughs, insight and personal ethos, thanks to its preoccupation with throwing as many half-formed jokes and soccer references onto the screen as possible. It never takes the time and care to carve them into something meaningful."[1]

Writing for Variety, Carlos Aguilar opined that "any film from a country with as scarce an output as Haiti is cause for curiosity, especially since it’s not a subdued, social realist drama of the kind typically sourced from developing countries to pad festival lineups. On paper, the idea to address social inequality and the corrosion of institutions by way of a potentially crowd-pleasing work of entertainment is sound, even daring, and that’s why the fact that the film’s many elements don’t amalgamate is a shame."[6]

Awards
At Fantasia, the film won the audience gold medal for Best Quebec Film, over Hunting Daze (Jour de chasse) and Ababooned (Ababouiné).[10]

The film was selected as Haiti's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[11]

It was named as best film of the Vevey International Funny Film Festival 2024.[12].

See also
List of Haitian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
References
Siddhant Adlakha, "‘Kidnapping Inc.’ Review: A Haitian Comedy-Thriller That Crashes and Burns". IndieWire, January 24, 2024.
Vladan Petkovic, "Review: Kidnapping Inc.". Cineuropa, January 24, 2024.
Anthony Kaufman, "‘Kidnapping Inc.’: Sundance Review". Screen Daily, January 23, 2024.
Bill Brownstein, "Haitian filmmaker laughs to get through the horror". Montreal Gazette, September 27, 2024.
Christopher Vourlias, "Art Imitates Life in Sundance-Bound Abduction Comedy ‘Kidnapping Inc.’ After Three Crew Members Held Hostage During Production". Variety, January 12, 2024.
Carlos Aguilar, "‘Kidnapping Inc.’ Review: Haitian Crime Comedy Blends Politics and Thrills to Middling Effect". Variety, January 23, 2024.
Meagan Navarro, "Fantasia 2024 Adds Steven Kostanski’s ‘Frankie Freako!’ and More to Final Wave of Programming". Bloody Disgusting, July 3, 2024.
Félix Poncelet-Marsan, "Bruno Mourral témoigne de l’insécurité à Haïti avec son premier film, « Kidnapping inc. »". Qui Fait Quoi, September 30, 2024.
Fabien Lemercier, "The hunt for the Valois d'Or is about to kick off in Angoulême". Cineuropa, August 20, 2024.
Jeremy Kay, "‘Bookworm’ wins 2024 Fantasia audience award for best international film". Screen Daily, August 6, 2024.
Denton Davidson, "2025 Oscars: Complete list of Best International Feature Film submissions". Gold Derby, October 3, 2024.
"Un record pour le VIFFF" 24 heures, October 28, 2024.
External links
Kidnapping Inc. at IMDb
Categories: 2024 films2024 crime comedy films2024 directorial debut filmsHaitian crime comedy filmsHaitian comedy thriller filmsCanadian crime comedy filmsCanadian comedy thriller filmsFrench crime comedy filmsFrench comedy thriller films2020s French-language filmsFrench-language Canadian filmsHaitian Creole-language filmsFilms shot in HaitiFilms set in Haiti2020s Canadian films2020s French films
A wacky, violent, black comedy-thriller from the mean streets of beleaguered Haitian capital Port au Prince should be cause for celebration. With no film industry to speak of and a mere trickling of movies over the last decade, mostly from expatriate filmmakers, a new independent film from Haiti is indeed a rare thing, and will undoubtedly give a boost to Kidnapping Inc. on the world stage. But the film’s hodgepodge of styles, uneven tonal shifts and convoluted storytelling make it more of a curiosity than the cult item it aspires to be.

Attempts to find poignancy in the chaos are outweighed by its frantic kookiness

Directed by commercial-trained Haitian-born filmmaker Bruno Mourral (maker of 2017’s mid-length festival winner Kafou), Kidnapping Inc. centers around the exploits of Doc (Jasmuel Andri) and Zoe (Rolaphton Mercure), two hapless gangsters who must deliver their newest kidnapping victim—a prominent Senator’s son—to their ruthless boss. But Doc, who is on ‘one last job’, and Zoe, the loose cannon, are just pawns in a wider conspiracy that hinges on the country’s upcoming Presidential election.

In an obvious nod to its Tarantino-esque influences, the film begins with Doc and Zoe exchanging witty banter about a profane dream involving a rat, while the trunk of their dilapidated car — where the Senator’s son lies tied up – won’t stay shut. Then a sudden outburst of violence seems to put their entire plan at risk; with the kidnapped man seemingly dead, how can they fulfill their mission? When the two petty criminals stumble upon a man who looks like their hostage, a new scheme takes shape. They kidnap the lookalike to pose as their victim, but their imposter’s eight-month-pregnant wife Laura (Haitian actress-director Gessica Geneus) also comes along for the ride, complicating the plan.

Meanwhile, the girlfriend of the Senator’s son, green-eyed Audrey (Anabel Lopez) is desperately scrambling to come up with the ransom money to free him. She is, however, also having an affair with another man, who is surreptitiously working with the corrupt authorities. Other figures come into the mix: a grotesque head of police with his own nefarious plans and an ominous motorcycle-riding, gun-wielding, black-clad assassin who is hot on the trail of Doc and Zoe. All of the stories eventually coalesce as we come to learn the true motives and multiple players behind the kidnapping plot, but it takes a lot of detours and people yelling at each other to finally get there.

Subtle it is not. Kidnapping Inc. wavers between over-the-top action scenes, burlesque broad comedy and sober political critique. One early gag features a snappily edited chase scene, shot from multiple angles, down the alleys and across the shanty rooftops of the capital’s slums, where Doc and Zoe get sandwiched against a naked woman washing herself in a cramped passageway. Her cries of “rape” are not funny, even if they are meant to be. The film’s most memorable set-piece involves Laura’s impromptu birth in the backseat of a car, with Don playing midwife alongside an eager crowd of onlookers, at the same time as a high-stakes football match unfolds with the legendary Messi scoring a big goal. There are lots of cheers.

Amid the madcap activities, one of the film’s main thematic throughlines — outlined in the film’s early credits — are the ongoing tensions between Haiti’s majority Black population and its minority ruling Mulatto elite; the latter embodied by the Senator, his daughter, and the upper-class Laura. There are hints of this along the way, as Laura will do anything to give birth in Miami rather than Haiti, along with the Senator’s bid for the Presidency despite his mixed Haitian-European background.

By the end of the film, Kidnapping Inc. manages to level a savage critique of the colonialist influences and ceaseless cycles of violence and corruption that continue to plague the country — a place that director Mourrai appears to both loathe and love. Dedicated to Mourrai’s father, who was murdered in Haiti in 2005, Kidnapping Inc. is undoubtedly a warped postcard of this nation, both in its story and its making. (According to production notes, three weeks before the film’s initial shooting date, Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated, and three crew members were kidnapped during production.) Indeed, one can sense the anguish and rancor bubbling under the surface but, ultimately, the film’s attempts to find poignancy in the chaos is outweighed by its frantic kookiness.

Production Companies: Promenades Films, BHM Films, Peripheria & Muska Films

International sales: Muska FILMS, Gaethan Chancy gaethan@muskagroup.com

Producers: Samuel Chauvin, Bruno Mourral, Yanick Letourneau, Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau, Gaëthan Chancy

Screenplay: Jasmuel Andri, Bruno Mourral, Gilbert Jr. Mirambeau

Cinematography: Martin Levent

Production design: tbc

Editing: Bruno Mourral, Arthur Tarnowski

Music: Olivier Alary

Main Cast: Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Anabel Lopez, Ashley Laraque, Gessica Geneus, Patrick Joseph, Manfred Marcelin, Marcus Boereau

Topics
CanadaFestivalsFranceHaitiMidnightReviewsSundance