6 months ago
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The landscape of Jamaican short films has evolved to encompass a gamut of different genres, including horror, romance, and even fantasy. Yet despite Christmas movies being their own genre, there’s a severe lack of holiday cheer in the catalogue of Jamaican cinema. That’s a problem Tarik Alexander sought to remedy with his short film Time Heals (A Jamaican Christmas Story), produced, written by, and starring Alexander, and directed by Kevin Jackson.
“The inspiration for the film actually came out of frustration. I came back to Jamaica in 2020, COVID brought me back after I went and studied [for] my master's in drama overseas at the New York Film Academy in LA ... I was really trying to see how I can showcase my skills as an actor ... but you can’t just tell people you’re an actor, you have to show them,” Alexander told The Gleaner.
He was motivated to show his skills but lacked the project to do it, so Alexander took it upon himself to create one. The short was released last year on Christmas Day to rave reviews. It depicts a young man, played by Alexander, coming to terms with his estranged relationship with his mother following a very public failed business venture. It’s a moving film that was by all accounts a success, but according to the people behind the camera, getting it made took a genuine Christmas miracle.
“Tarik approached me saying he wanted to do a Christmas project, it had been on his mind for a while,” said Jackson. “I thought 'Hey, why not'”.
While the idea intrigued the director, Jackson had to force a few concessions from Alexander. “He approached me initially with a longer script, and I told him it could not be done for this year.”
“The story was much bigger. Much more complicated...I condensed it and then sent it to Kevin and asked if we could put this out for Christmas...he said no, let’s do it for next year, but me being ambitious, I went ahead and went to The Christmas Place, and I didn’t even have the full script, I just told them I had this idea,” said Alexander.
“Tarik came back to me with a shorter script on a Friday and said we’re shooting it the following Monday. I thought, how were we going to shoot on Monday when we haven’t done any kind of rehearsals, but he got the actors together for a rehearsal on Sunday, and then [the] next day, we started shooting,” said Jackson.
The film was shot at The Christmas Place, found above Super Valu Home Centre. The location was not only essential to capturing the winter wonderland aesthetic of the film, but also in giving Jackson hope for the film’s production. “The turnaround time was very short, but Tarik didn’t take long to get permission to use the space. I guess because of the nature of the story, it made sense for them as well. That was a pleasant surprise to get through so quickly.”
The space was set, but getting to the finish line was a different animal. “Production started, I believe, on the Monday before Christmas, and Christmas was the following Monday, so we literally had just seven days to turn this around,” Jackson recalls Alexander would need to be reined in from edits if there was any hope of a Christmas release. “We got the final edit on Christmas morning, and then we had to send it to the sound designer to have the music applied ... At a certain point, I had to give Tarik a cut-off point at about midday. I said if you want this out by five today, you have to cut it off now.”
Finally, after what was a total of a week of intense work, the short was released to the public. At the time of writing, the film had 8.7k views on YouTube and 242 comments, many of which are overwhelmingly positive. One particular review came from Alexander’s mother, who reportedly cried upon watching the film and requested to immediately watch it again. “We watched it on Christmas night, and it was my mom, my father, my younger brother, we all sat around the TV and watched it. They were all very proud, but looking at my mother, I wanted to catch her emotion because of what happens in the film, and I felt proud that she cried tears of joy,” said Alexander.
Despite having to make concessions, both the director and the executive producer speak of the project with pride. “I think it turned out well. It had the look we were going for, the emotions, it’s a simple story but a heartfelt story,” said Jackson.
For Alexander, the film’s ability to resonate with the audience is particularly gratifying. “I’m beyond proud of it. It exceeded my expectations... To get close to 10,000 views and the engagements in the comments. It was very detailed responses, people saying how it made them cry and want to reconnect with their parents. Even up to last week, I’m still getting messages...It’s proof and a lesson that your story is your story, and you want to tell stories that leave a lasting impact. I want Time Heals to be a timeless Jamaican story, done in Jamaica, by Jamaicans, that we released as a gift for the world to see.”
Time Heals (A Jamaican Christmas Story) is available on YouTube.
Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies. Email feedback. to entertainment@gleanerjm.com.
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