Yesterday I got to chance to see the Jo'burg preview of Otelo Burning, aimed at spreading word-of-mouth before the May 11th nationwide release of the film.
I can honestly say that this is one of the best films I've seen thus far in 2012 - from styling, to performances, to the story and the actual look - this could be SA's own
City of God. Maybe not as flashy as the Brazilian film, but the way it deals with memory and the impact of a specific time period on the characters' young lives carries the same weight in this film as it did in City of God.
The opening sequence is very clever - not only does it set up the tone of the film (the 1980's polaroid film look) but it also sets up the idea of working with memories and a bygone era. The era's just a memory but, like our old pictures in our personal albums, the moments live on in our memories and have an impact on who we are today.
Otelo Burning deals with the memories of New Year's memories (yes that's the character's name). It deals with his childhood in the 80's where him, his best friend Otelo (Jafta Mamabolo), sister Dezi (Nolwazi Shenge), unlikely friend Mandla (Sihle Xaba) and Otelo's younger brother Ntwe (Tshepang Mohlomi) discover surfing, whilst learning how to swim at their local pool, during the height of the political violence that engulfed Lamontville township in KZN.
You'd expect it to be all gloom and doom since its set in the apartheid years but the film has a lot of heart, humour and yes, teenage hormones on a rampage. Yet the story also deals with friendship and what it meant to grow up during those trying times as the characters try to carve an identity for themselves, a space for themselves, while trying to find a sense of who they are.
The film can't escape the times it sets in and asks questions around if we are a product of our environment or our decisions ... it makes you wonder about the possibilities of life without aparthied.
The cast is on top form - my shining light is Thomas Gumede as New Year - the man pulls a brilliant performance as the nerdy-plaasjapie with heart.
Otelo's brother Ntwe is amazing - this kid gives a performance that is so seemless one cannot see where the character starts and the kid begins. He's definitely another Junior Singo of the
Wooden Camera in the making, whereby a kid really puts it out there.
Nolwazi Shenge is at least given her own trajectory as a character and not just turned into the girlfriend -her character Dezi has her own story and challenges and it's always great to see Kenneth Nkosi play a none-comidic role too as the disciplinarian but absent father.
Directed by Sara Blecher (of Bay of Plenty on SABC 1) the film can be faulted for turning Inkatha into a nameless and faceless violent mob unlike the comrades whom we see throough the township residents. Yet Sara and writer need to be commeded on taking workshop stories of people who lived in Lamontville (during the actual times depicted in the movie), who actually took swimming lessons at this clean and beautiful pool surrounded by so much squalor and take those stores to make such a powerful film.
Lance Gewer's (Jozi,Tsotsi and Spud) photography is rich and beautiful and I believe a lot of people will love the glistening bodies on screen.
At times the theme of surfing as a metaphor for freedom get hits on the head too hard by some awkward dialogue (but that happens not too much) but this is a briliant film that like
City Of God taps into a time period and lets us see and feel it through its characters and story. Do yourself a favour and check this out come May 11th - it's worthwhile.