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Reviews
Vaya (2016)
An unsettling but great film
This film exposes the underbelly of contemporary Johannesburg, and illustrates how three youngsters are forced to adapt whilest being exposed to horrific and disturbing acts.
Not an enjoyable journey as it highlights emotional conflict anyone would do everything in their power to avoid. But it does show how resilient out heroes are, and how adversity can cause, by necessity, the emergence of strength and resilience.
I truly memorable film, and one worth watching more than once.
Shepherds and Butchers (2016)
Emotionally charged
An extremely disturbing film, especially being based on truth. It raises several questions regarding the death penalty, and illustrates how apartheid South Africa affects not only the oppressed, but also he perpetrator.
Steve Coogan gave a great performance, but for me young Garion Dowds gave an engaging and moving performance that stole the show.
What was interesting was the layering of emotions, and the psychological portrayal of what happens to ordinary people subjected to a continual barrage of negativity (in this case hanging & the death penalty), and how this leads to emotional numbing & blunting.
A great if somewhat unsettling watch.
Kalushi: The Story of Solomon Mahlangu (2016)
Emotionally charged
A well-executed South African story, and a tragic one aligning to the awful plight of South African's of colour during apartheid.
The performances by the principal cast were believable and powerful. The story was riveting and kept me glued to my seat. This was particularly moving given that this was based on true events.
I felt that it lost emotional kudos by painting the Afrikaner policemen as always wicket, something commonly depicted in stories like this. A subtle layering of emotions in the antagonists would have further elevated this powerful story.
Great view, certainly worth watching.
Green Book (2018)
Simply superb viewing
This story is emotionally intelligent, and the cathartic journey of the two protagonists compelling. All aspects of the film were woven together into a great story, and the performances by these two great actors superb. A must see for everyone.
The Endless River (2015)
A good idea, and a good low budget film
This idea of this script was quite clever, and the moments of introspection by the protagonists intelligent, even if somewhat overplayed. The plot worked, though I feel it didn't quite build to a satisfying climax.
Some of the transitions were intelligent, and the visuals not bad, these would have worked better if all the transitions between scenes were smoother.
The Police Station Commander executed his role well, as did Percy the gangster and the mother. The female and male leads worked well also, though I feel the chemistry between them fell a trifle short. Again, I think this would have worked better if the script had built better, and developed to a climax.
All in all, a good low budget film, and worth a watch.
Blood & Water (2020)
Great acting, captivating
This series hooks you in immediately, with all the elements gripping you. The visuals are pleasing, the script engaging, and the cast all played their parts well.
The development of the various characters and the depiction of their growth did illustrate well the parents, school staff, and the teenagers accurately and realistically. This displayed hoe modern parenting works as opposed to the more authoritarian approach of the past.
The hook immediately grips, and is extremely well woven into the story and cleverly used to evolve each character on their respective journeys.
The series evolved to a great climax and left me gasping for more. A must see!
Rare Blood (2020)
An interesting psychological portrayal, but may strike a nerve
May strike a nerve for people.
A film that is entertaining, with an underlying social message, but it may strike a nerve for some people. Possibly this may account for the few, similar emotionally charged negative reviews?
The imagery is great and the performances acceptably portray the characters. The script develops steadily though, in a few instances, the impetus seems to become lost causing the story to lag at times.
The film, though a low budget, does convey a strong social message, the thematic undertones exploring the issues of gender-based violence. This is executed by portraying violence as a symptom of the characters' inherent dysfunction and disorder. The film highlights the relationship between dysfunction and abuse, suggesting gender-based violence can be read as a symptom of a greater, overarching societal condition, or dysfunction.
Many of society's problems stem from dysfunctional family units and Rare Blood addresses these social issues by weaving the plot around a conniving, narcissistic family. With the breakdown of the nuclear family in contemporary society, and blurring of absolutes, and the impact of social media narcissism is on the increase.
Rare Blood clearly strives to illustrate how destructive narcissism is to the family unit though, given the end story result, and the portrayal of the antagonist, this may strike a nerve for some people. It would be interesting to see what this film would be like on a higher budget, impressive I imagine.
Sleeper's Wake (2012)
Could have been better
A clever idea, and a work of fiction depicting how a fragmented individual will, knee jerk, behave in a confounding manner.
The problem was suspending disbelief that this young woman, regardless of her dysfunctional background, could become interested in this older man. Apart from his broken emotional state which may invoke a distorted maternal attraction, I find this difficult to believe.
The protagonist, father, and "boyfriend" gave believable performances. The baboon was quite an interesting inclusion, again if executed better would have supplied an interesting element to the film.
The production value and cinematography were good and elevated the film, and if the scripting had been tighter, the execution more believable this could have been an interesting story.
Liyana (2017)
Simply beautiful, an education to the senses.
A beautifully woven story that not only educates but moves the emotions as the three young protagonists are compelled to make their journey along with their creation, Liyana.
A powerful psychological story that illustrates, in a beautiful manner, how children, assisted by their wise mentor, are discreetly shown how to cope and come to terms with awful tragedy. Seldom is such a powerful message and cathartic journey illustrated on film, refreshing.
The weaving of animation and score into the tapestry of story is ingenious. Certainly worth viewing for both children and adults alike.
Five Fingers for Marseilles (2017)
An interesting study with gorgeous visuals
The visuals are great, the story watchable. An interesting study on how early childhood trauma can affects an individual psyche later in life, and how it affects different people in different ways/
The lead actor delivers a powerful convincing performance, as do most of the cast, even when the story lags as it does in parts. It would have been interesting to see a little more intra and interpersonal conflict, and I feel if this had been scripted, the story would have been riveting.
The landscape as a character is breathtaking, and supports the mood of the story beautifully. I wonder, will a sequel follow? I would certainly watch a sequel expecting this creative team to deliver an even better story!