The MovieTowne lobby was fiery with excitement on May 11 when Maturity Music premiered the film entitled Soca Power in Trinidad and Tobago. People walking through the space on their way to see other movies or the cafeteria forgot what they were about when they spied Machel Montano and Isaac Blackman hanging around among invited guests and media.

Then the two artistes were guided to a table where they were asked to sign autographs for fans, which pushed back the actual movie showing roughly an hour, but no one complained

because everyone seemed to be enjoying the vibe created by the presence of Montano and Blackman who were swamped by women and children at the Cineplex.

As for the documentary, judging from the periodic laughter throughout the audience seemed at least entertained. The film is produced by French-based filmmaker, Claude Santiago who followed Montano, Blackman, Bunji Garlin and Fay-Ann Lyons around during Carnival 2007. He also did interviews with them as well as shot scenes in recording and radio studios, fetes and other events including Sheldon Blackman’s wedding in Piparo.

The film provides a side of Bunji that only the people of Arima, and more than likely only a few of them, would have ever seen before. The audience erupted into laughter during a scene that places Bunji and Lyons in Arima for Jouvert and Lyons straddles him as the two do a slow, sexy wine. The expression on Bunji’s face as his relatives and friends egg him on, calling him superman is simply humorous and makes this one of the unforgettable scenes.

The opportunity to look back at Montano’s AC5 concert of C2K7 is also very enjoyable and allows one to really appreciate the unique creative spirits of Montano and Peter Minshall who designed the production. The fete scenes with women balancing themselves on the scaffolding separating stage from crowd made for much laughter especially when the cameras panned on couples wining furiously as they balanced on the fences.

Even if the film does not provide much in the way of in-depth information on soca music or the many artistes that create and perform the genre, it will entice the foreigners that do see it to come down here and have a good time. Santiago captured just what soca can lead a person to do when the rhythm takes hold on them.