PLOT: Three rich middle-aged women (two American, one Canadian) spend part of each year as "sex tourists" in '70s Duvalier-era Haiti, and find their paradise shattering when the hellish realities of the country finally intrude on their relationship with a pet gigolo.
If you ever wondered how the French would interpret When Stella Got Her Groove Back -- and who hasn't? -- look no further than the politically self-conscious Heading South. For starters, Stella would be having a lot less fun.
The middle-aged woman as "sex tourist" is rendered in this Canadian/French co-production as a joyless creature, possessed of the power of money while in the Third World, but inherently unhappy because at home her worth remains overshadowed by her wrinkles.
The bitter subtext casts a jaundiced shadow over the sun-drenched sexscapades of Ellen (Charlotte Rampling), Brenda (Karen Young) and Sue (Louise Portal), two Americans and a Canadian, all bilingual, and all eager "clients" of the young black men who hover around their resort in '70s Haiti.
Awash in female politics from the first scene, Heading South introduces us to the alpha female Ellen, a French teacher to spoiled American prep school girls.
Ellen seems to be in charge, both of the young men who hover around her and of the women with whom they're paired. Brenda, a divorced Southerner, represents an immediate threat, particularly since she only has eyes for Legba (Menothy Cesar), Ellen's "pet." It's easy to see that jealous fury lurks behind Ellen's cool exterior.
But while all this sexual politics is going on, Haiti is suffering the last days of the Duvalier regime -- a reality to which the women wish to remain oblivious but can't.
Which means they're at a loss when Legba starts becoming more politically aware and resentful of his role as a sex slave. Back in the grimy city, he has his own ultimately tragic problems with government thugs -- all beyond the control of the women and their chequebooks.
When things begin to unravel, it becomes clear that for the women -- cynical noises to the contrary -- the entire experience has all along been about more than zipless sex.
Overseeing it all is Albert (Lys Ambroise), the grim maitre d' of the resort, and a closet hater of whites. Like most of the other major characters, Albert is given a defining "interview" head on, as if director Laurent Cantet -- who mixes French and English throughout -- is filming a documentary within the movie. It's a gimmick that allows him to otherwise keep the dialogue spare.
Heading South is ultimately a sad tale, unsubtle in its political metaphors, and sympathetic to its sex-tourist protagonists. But of course sex tourism remains primarily a man's game, and it's hard to see Heading South being anything but creepy were it to reverse its sex roles.
BOTTOM LINE: If When Stella Got Her Groove Back was self-consciously political and French, it would be this movie. Charlotte Rampling and Karen Young give aching performances as sex-tourist cougars, and Menothy Cesar simmers as a gigolo who becomes politically conscious. But one can't help thinking about the double standard, how creepy this movie would be if the tourists were men.
(This film is rated PG)
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