Film on middle-class Haitian-American family premieres at Sheepshead Bay Movie Theater

“Behavior,” produced by FloXFilms, a film about a middle-class Haitian-American family living in Canarsie, Brooklyn, premieres at the Sheepshead Bay Movie Theater on July 12 at 7 p.m.

Aminique Kirnon, an educator who stars in “Behavior” as “Marie”, a mother to a teenage son, “CJ” (Kelvin Hammond), told Caribbean Life on Monday that the Haitian-American family is “unsure of how to best support their child, who appears to be struggling with a mental illness.”

She said “Behavior” focuses on the stigma attached to mental health, peer pressure and socio-economic inequalities.

Kirnon said Marie, “a Haitian-American hard-working woman, trying to keep her family together,”,is married to a police officer named “Christopher” (Jodell Lewis).

“Marie notices slight changes in her son’s behavior and is eager for her son to receive counseling from a family therapist,” Kirnon said. “Traditionally, it is a struggle in a Caribbean household to share your feelings with your parents.

“There are some Caribbean families who don’t believe in seeking therapy and would much rather their children to suppress their feelings,” she added. “Knowing this background information gave me the courage to show that there are families who desire professional help and will do whatever it takes to heal their family.

“In ‘Behavior,’ you will notice how two different parenting styles can cause further harm than good,” Kirnon continued.

Without knowing too much about the script, Kirnon said she figured that it would be easy for her to play the role of a mother.

“As we sat there, during our table read, and the story started to unfold, I realized that not only am I playing the role of a mother” but also as Christopher’s wife.

Film producer Wanly Florexile. Photo by Basma Zenab

Filmaker Wanly Florexile, described as “a family man, who has love for both real estate and producing movies”, said he has seen the challenges that independent film makers experience.

Instead of waiting for the approval of Hollywood, Florexile said he decided to produce his own films under “Flo X Films.”

He told Caribbean Life that he founded the production company with his wife, Basma Zenab, and friend Rodney Yates.

Florexile said he has won multiple independent movie awards, including best director.

He said he has eight movies currently streaming on multiple platforms. In his latest project, “The Consequence,” Florexile plays an illegal immigrant named “Dave”, “who arrives in the States without legal documents and seems to find trouble everywhere he goes”. “The Consequence” is currently streaming on Tubi.

Florexile also has another movie, “Life of a Zoe”, which he also wrote, starred and directed.

Florexile said the movie stars some of the biggest names in the Haitian entertainment community, such as Tonton Bicha and the late Mikaben.

Look out for more independent films from “FloXFilms.”