The film offers an authentic view of the hardships that citizens underwent during the apartheid regime. The audience is exposed to the police brutality Mahlangu was subjected to as a hawker, as well as the heartless massacre of the June 16 protests. The film fails to evoke the intended emotional response, due to some scenes not living up to their full potential, and other confusing scenes. The one thing that stands out in this movie is the uncompromising use of the Nguni dialect. Viewers have to understand the language to truly grasp what is being said, as the subtitles are directly translated and do not reflect the true meaning of the words.
The film comes alive at the end and allows the viewer to feel like a bystander at the Joburg shootings, or an eyewitness to the murders of the two unintended victims. The final scenes of the movie are powerful and evoke a lot of strong emotions in the viewer as the director beautifully captures the gruesome atrocities. If you are interested in the context behind the struggle song “Iyho Solomon” then you should definitely watch this movie.
3/5
Image: imdb.com
