South Africa is capable of cinematic brilliance. If you don’t believe 
me think back to Yesterday, the story of a young mother in rural South Africa who finds out that she has been infected with HIV by her husband who works in the mines in Joburg. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category in 2005. How about Tsosti, the film about a young thug who steals a car with a baby in it? It won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2006. The latest moving story of life in South Africa is told in Life Above All, a film which has HIV/AIDS in it but is really about the issues that women have to deal with on a daily basis; issues like abuse, unemployment and raising children in poverty.
Life Above All unfortunately missed out on an Oscar nomination – it made it to the top nine but narrowly missed out on making it to the final five – but many people believe the omission to be a crime. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 and was an instant hit, receiving a ten-minute standing ovation from an audience that has been known to boo previous Oscar winners such as Sophia Coppola (for her film Marie Antoinette).
South Africans have had to wait nearly a year for Life Above All to be released nationally – it will premiere on 11 March – but already local movie critics are licking their chops in anticipation. The film was directed by Oliver Schmitz, who is South African-born but lives in Germany where he is able to pursue his directorial career. It is based on a novel called Chanda’s Secrets by Canadian author Allan Stratton.
An article on Channel24.co.za cites an interview with Schmidt where he says that despite the presence of Aids, it isn’t an Aids movie. “It’s a very moving drama about a mother-daughter relationship tested by taboo, illness and lies.”
One of the leading actresses, Lerato Mvelase, said, “The movie says women must start talking, speaking out, if they want to tackle their problems. It shows women and children have the power to change the world.”And her co-star, Harriet Manamela, said, “It’s all about women – marital problems, abuse of women, children born out of wedlock.”
The young actress who plays the lead role, Khomotso Manyaka, said that she hopes young viewers will take away the message that they don’t have to keep secrets.
In a country where talking about HIV/AIDS is still very taboo and where superstition still plagues the rural areas the film is very important in its attempt to try and break down boundaries. As Manamela says, it’s also about revealing some of the atrocities that women have been forced to live with in secret since time began. It’s about spreading the message that women are powerful in their own right and that they are entitled to dignity and a life without shame.
They’re very powerful messages and one can only hope that they reach the right audience.
Don’t miss Life Above All. It’s not an easy film to watch but it’s well worth it.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
