2015 has seen a lot of SA films dealing with the issue of what it means to be a young South African, from the idealized and aspirational
Tell Me Sweet Something to the nihilistic and edgy
Necktie Youth to something that kinda straddles both extremes without giving in to the extreme points (of the two prior films), comes Ayanda. But does it successfully manage the centre? Let's dig in...
Produced by Terry Pheto (first time time producer and casting director), written by Trish Malone and directed by Sara Blecher (Otelo Burning, Zero Tolerance, Dis Ek Anna), Ayanda has a lot going for it. Trish Malone has a written a story that has depth but also a lot of warmth, filled with characters that are easy to relate to.
Sara Blecher is currently in phenomenal form - she has two movies screening at cinemas at the same time (not something that happens a lot in SA). She has gone for a very different visual treatment on Ayanda as compared to Otelo Burning in her use of animated sequences, and makes sure to keep the film light and not as broody as Otelo. She manages to keep plot moving whilst still exploring the coming of age and love story themes of the film.
The story is so well written that the cast shines, starting off with the young Fulu Moguvhani as Ayanda. Our trendy, arty farty but still relatable lead, who, like her country, is struggling to let go of her past. It hampers her growth in the present and her ability to create a better and less stressful future.
It’s refreshing to see a young female lead who is not a skinny Barbie doll, an airhead or obsessed with money for the sake of money. With Ayanda we have someone you feel you could bump into walking down town. We’ve all seen these types of arty types before. Fulu totally inhabits the character and it's hard not to like her.
Terry Pheto did a great job of surrounding Fulu with great performers. Kenneth Nkosi is always brilliant in dramatic roles - the man has range. You can never go wrong with Nthati Moshesh and Sara Blechers’ former lead in Otelo Burning, Jafta Mamabolo, who has perfected his young and sensitive black male, complete with one tear drop falling from one eye. You can also never go wrong with Thomas Gumede in a comedic role. This is just the tip of of the iceberg... Ayanda has some great performances outside the central cast.
Aside from the characters and the story of trying to keep the garage open, another clever feat of the movie is re-introducing Yeoville to the masses. Through the subplot of a documentary that has been created around the people of Yeoville we get a chance to explore the city and the people of Yeoville.
Unlike Tell Me Sweet Something, you get a true sense of the Joburg in its totality, even Maboneng. From the pretty, to the not-so-pretty things about Joburg life, but above all it humanizes the city once more. It turns the inhabitants of the city into families, the hawkers and shop owners into people with their own wonderful stories of how they got here and why they continue to live in Joburg.
I loved the fact that not everything is pretty and good in Ayanda, the spectre of xenophobia is there, although you will have to read between the lines to see it and then there’s the issue of the Police as the antagonist to society. The police as a symbol of corruption and not of endearment, which I believe a lot of people living in the inner city will relate too. The SAPS like the springboks (SA rugby team) have a serious image problem.
Ayanda truly has a something for everybody; it has humour, it has drama, it has the love story for romance fans, it has family drama for those who love kitchen sink dramas, it has trendy young people for those who want to see young Joburg of today and it has heart and plenty of it. I hope folks go and support this.
Rating ****
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* Junk **Only if theres nothing better on tv *** now we getting there **** Almost Perfect *****Instant Classic