It has been 50 years since her father left Guadeloupe. Sylvaine Dampierre grew up in France, but returns to Guadeloupe to research the origins of her name, which goes back to the time of enslavement. More than just a journey into the past, however, the film is a powerful portrait of the island and its people today.
We meet genealogist Michel Rogers, who has spent decades meticulously reconstructing Guadeloupean family trees. Guadeloupe is still a French overseas department today; its history one of violent encounters between the American and African continents, fuelled by Europe’s imperialist ambitions during the time of slavery. The Country Upside Down serves as a mirror, showing France its other side. But it is also the filmmaker’s search for her own »other face« – an affirmation of the Creole, a celebration of hybridity, her »own being in the world« and also the pain associated with this.
Dampierre also discovers present-day manifestations of the past in the island’s bodies and landscapes. The choreographer Lena Blou and her students express inner and outer legacies with their bodies and through conversation. The camera follows the caretakers of the Creole gardens, who continue to keep the island’s Black heritage alive today. Creole music serves as a faithful companion to the director on her journey to the other side of history.

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