Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Wed 31 Oct only
Sara Blecher / South Africa / 2011 / 72 min
The recent ‘monkey gesture’ from a Chelsea fan directed at black striker Danny Wellbeck is a sad reminder that racism is far from eradicated, in football or wider society. Based on a true story, Sara Blecher’s film depicts the struggle against such prejudices and the distress it causes. In the suburban township of Lamontville, Otelo (Jafta Mamabolo) and friends learn to surf in the hope of escaping their bleak and uninspiring surroundings. But set against the backdrop of the end of Apartheid, social unrest on a local and national level swells to become an unavoidable issue.
From the film’s opening sequence (Otelo’s brother’s accident), Blecher warns her audience this isn’t a jolly about surfing. Containing frequent scenes of the adolescents cavorting on the beach, it has feel-good moments but these are counterbalanced by the darker political tone. Blecher weaves the two narratives together so pleasingly, while they juxtapose emotionally, both storylines mirror each other’s theme of escape. Yearning for freedom from his overbearing parent and dilapidated surroundings, Otelo is similar to Great Expectations’ Pip (if you replace law with surfing) but instead of Dickens championing the plight of the working-class, Blecher is commenting on the injustice of Apartheid. This film then serves as a reminder of the progress that’s been made towards equality and a plea not to abandon it.
Follow Callum on Twitter @CWMadge.
Comments