In the 60's life in Haiti was not an easy thing unless you belonged to the ruling class or the dictator's family or friends of the family. Papa Doc's reign was very brytal and any deviation from the rule was punishable by death or torture. A young girl is exposed to the brutallity of the Tonton Macoute (the private secret police and milicia that Papa Doc used to terrorize Haitians for 29 years. She does not understand all the ramifications of what she sees, but through her aunt's agony and fears and ultimately arrest, she knows that life around her is not good and there is a lot os sadness and sorrow too. The pace of the movie also convey very well the fact that people are trapped in this world and it seems that it will last forever. The use of very somber colours add to the evil atmosphere that lingers on the town.