Michelange Quay’s extraordinary first feature EAT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY invites us to abandon the rules of traditional storytelling and embrace a poetic cinematic language uniquely his own. This seductive and radical film begins with a breathtaking aerial traveling shot over a tropical island where nature’s bounty vies with images of poverty and suffering. A woman with a huge belly undergoes a difficult birth; the sound of a rushing waterfall quells her plaintive cries. A voodoo ceremony erupts with fervor. A white woman serves an imaginary dinner to a group of black boys forced to reiterate “merci.” Vibrant musical sequences give way to contemplative tableaux of sexual ambiguity. More than playing the race card, Quay reflects on the political and sexual politics of a country with a stormy past and an uncertain future in a film you are not likely to forget.

As the film deals with hunger, poverty, violence, and racial politics, Quay spoke at length with us about the process of refining his images, his choice of players, and the political turmoil engulfing his home nation.