Bandi, the new French drama on Netflix, takes place on Martinique, a French-controlled island in the Caribbean. It features a family of 11 siblings that have to figure out how to stay together after their mother’s sudden death. Some of the choices are risky, and by no means unanimous.
BANDI: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: A trio of men watch from a playground on a high observation point as the clerk at a corner store closes up for the night.
The Gist: The trio’s goal is to rob the place, and it seems easy to break in. They don’t find much, and a speaker next to the CCTV camera blares with a voice that tells them that stealing from a man named “Milord” is a mistake. One of the men finds a stash of cash and drugs in a garbage can and takes it.
When Milord, who is a teenager named Kylan LaFleur (Djody Grimeau), finds out about the robbery, he gives the store owner some time to make up the deficit. But he also has an idea who did it. When he goes to a sixteenth birthday party his brother Kingsley (Rodney Dijon) throws for him and gets a drone as a gift, it doesn’t take much for him to put it together. He sends his henchmen out the next morning to beat up his brother, and the thugs tell King that “this is from Milord.” King has no idea that Milord is his little brother.
Back at home, King, Kylan and their nine other siblings bring home cash for the family. Their mother, Marilyn (Sandrine Velayoudon), insists that the family earns their money honestly; when King hands her a wad of cash that she thinks came via drug dealing, she burns the bills at the dinner table. She is absolutely concerned with King’s associates, and really gets concerned when her oldest daughter Annabelle (Ambre Bozza) arrives to dinner late. But she seems to think that Kylan is making his money by tutoring.
After having a serious discussion with Annabelle about her spending the night with men, Marilyn goes to work at her vegetable and herb stand. But she dies on the way, her scooter getting hit by an oncoming car.
At the funeral, one of the aunties in the neighborhood insist that the Marilyn’s younger kids come to live with them. But King and his older brother Marvin (Cedric Camille) insist they can manage on their own. But they soon find out that their various odd jobs can’t pay the bills.
Kylan thinks it’s time to step up his operation and connects with a port employee that will help him export his wares off the island. King goes a different route, making a deal with a friend to steal the stash of a friend’s cousin, who just got out of prison.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Bandi has the same feeling as Shameless, where a large group of siblings is more or less on their own, and they try to make a living any way they can, whether it’s legal or not.
Our Take: Bandi, created by Eric Rochant, shows that in places like Martinique, a French-controlled island in the Caribbean, that life can be tough for the people there, but families like the LaFleurs are strong and determined to stick together, no matter the circumstances.
Rochant and his writers don’t portray anyone in the family, even Kylan, as doing anything more than what they feel they need to do in order to provide. Sure, Kylan has ambitions, and he’s trying to build a drug empire while laying low and still taking classes in school. But his efforts are still portrayed as less of a power grab and more of a way to set up something sustainable for his siblings.
He’s much more sensible than King, whose plans seem to be half-cocked. But it’s not like the rest of the siblings, especially the older ones that can bring the family more than pocket change, are all in favor of what King wants to do, and they have no idea what Kylan is up to. It’ll be interesting to find out just what happens when and if Kylan’s alter ego is revealed to the LaFleurs or if he’ll just provide the money without any of his loved ones finding out.
More than anything, though, Bandi shows the grit and love this family has, even in the face of Marilyn’s sudden death. They refuse to let anyone else take care of them, and we definitely want to see how this group scrapes by on their own.
Performance Worth Watching: Djody Grimeau’s character Kylan is one of the lowest-key crime bosses we’ve seen on TV. He’s not flashy and doesn’t want to be. Yet he has a vision that he is absolutely certain he’ll achieve because he’s such a hard worker.
Sex And Skin: None in the first episode.
Parting Shot: Kylan sees a text that says “Kingsley is on my radar. He’s your responsibility,” and he sends a thumbs-up emoji.
Sleeper Star: Ambre Bozza’s character Annabella seems to have her mother’s sense of morality, but she definitely has a reckless side to her.
Most Pilot-y Line: The dock worker that Kylan makes a deal with tells him that he’ll be keeping an eye on him: “You won’t be able to fart without me knowing what you ate. Got it?”
Our Call: STREAM IT. Bandi is an interesting drama about a family that tries to keep themselves together when the one person that has kept them together is suddenly gone.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.