Showmax will be dropping the first two episodes of Blood Psalms on 28th September and I got to see an advance screening of the series at MIP Africa.
I will give you my thoughts on the series, without spoiling the plot, but I will come out and say it: we all need to watch this show, and secondly, it won't be for everyone.
Let's dig in...
Why do I say it won't be for everyone?
If you look at Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s filmography, from a Small Town called Descent to Sew the Winter to My Skin, Jahmil tends to have his own auteur sensibilities to storytelling.
He has a singular vision for his stories and you need to come into them on his terms.
His projects are not necessarily crowd pleasers and he approaches Blood Psalms with the same type of mindset.
Some will be coming into Blood Psalms thinking it's a fantasy akin to Game of Thrones but Jahmil has made a Greek tragedy in Blood Psalms.
Filled with vengeful gods who meddle with humans, men who believe their cause is right but seem to be a toy thing for the gods and where the story does not always lead you by the nose.
Set in an ancient Africa where Kush (i.e. Egypt) stretches from modern day Egypt all the way to the Cape of Good Dope, we meet the young Letsha (Mothusi Magano) whose life is about to become something akin to the play Macbeth.
Where the god's will and his ambition are destined to doom his people and his beloved daughter but will his daughter be what saves the people?
King Letsha’s trajectory is set up in the first two episodes and it feels like a cautionary tale about ambition, trusting mysticism and how might does not make right. One has to see the rest of the series to discover the outcome of these.
Letsha’s daughter, Zazi (Bokang Phelane) seems to have the Luke Skywalker/Moses arc of the story - the daughter of the most powerful man in the land who may have to bring down her own father to save their people.
The two episodes set those at the narrative table, whilst leaving many crumbs that will be explored in upcoming episodes.
From the conflict surrounding the four provinces that are at war, to the fulfilment of the prophecy and the role of mystics.
Jahmil not only incorporates ancient Kush into this fantasy, but also takes in their belief system - watch Moon Knight for a pop culture reference to the Egyptian pantheon because the series goes in on them fully so look for references to Kemet, Sekhmet et al.
Now South African audiences are not accustomed to having ancient Kush (Egypt) referenced in our TV series, never-mind associated with Africans more than modern day Egyptians.
This is something the mind will need to get used to - the Hoteps of the world are going to love this about the show.
So whilst you're still wrestling with ancient Egypt, a famous mythical city is thrown into the works. There is also magic, dragons (yes, dragons) and end of time prophecy.
By this point you're either all in, or you're not. You either love the series for its ambitions or you don’t. I’m loving that the show embraces fantasy all the way.
Jahmil gets lovely performances from Mothusi to Bokang to the pantheon of old school legends like Sello Maake Ka-Ncube and his usual collaborators.
The only part that drops the ball is when it comes to the language. The youngsters don’t always get the richness of the native tongue, as well as the older actors, but this is something I’m willing to forgive.
The other issue is the CGI is a hit and miss, but that speaks more to budget constraints than creative output.
The saga about the DTI Rebate not coming through when expected can be felt in some bits but it does not diminish the story nor the production design that Chantel Carter, one of SA’s leading production designers, has put into this project.
The last time a South African tried to do something at this level was with The Legend of a Hidden City, which was aimed at teens in the late 90s. The oldies amongst you will remember Brendan Pollecut and Fezile Mpela as the leads.
But that was a standard white gaze adventure whereas Blood Psalms puts the African gaze front and centre, from the story perspective and the folks making it, which is refreshing. It's a pity production had issues with the DTI Rebate but the series has to be commended to be a true first.
The first black production company to say: we can do fantasy in our own tongues, our own way, celebrating our history but not being beholden to the history and our iconography to a point like in Lord of the Rings where the series creates its own languages, people and style.
I’m hoping this will be the first of many to come and that it's judged on its own merit and not in comparison to series that have 10 times the budget of the entire series in one episode.
I hope folks watch it so we can have more like it and inspire other young black creatives into believing that it is feasible to do that sci-fi or that horror flick or that next fantasy series. That we can build on this.
What Jahmil X.T. Qubeka and Layla Swart have achieved with Blood Psalms is something that will go down in SA TV history books, like the Yizo Yizo and Intersexions of the world - series that came and changed the game when folks least expected it.
If you're not going to it watch for the story, then watch it for all the Talent that's on screen, from Mothusi Magano to Bokang Phelane, Sdumo Mtshali, Lemogang Tsipa,Thishiwe Ziqubu, Zikhona Sodlaka and Warren Masemola, just to mention a few. The stars rise to the occasion.
Rating
****
*Trash **You are on your own ***It tries ****Almost Perfect *****Instant Classic