Noem My Skollie: Call Me Thief

Brilliant! This is a stunning movie and without doubt fits in my long life's top ten movies alongside movies such as Lawrence of Arabia, Brother Sun and sister moon, the killing fields and 12 years a slave amongst others.

This is a very harrowing tale and tough to watch,because of the storyline. But it is a brilliant movie in every aspect except for one gratuitous hetero sex scene which for me did not fit into the movie at all(and is the reason for the 9 out of 10). The story is one that every youth should see because I believe that it will be life-changing for them/

Everybody associated with this film deserves the greatest of accolades and I sincerely hope that there will be a few Oscars for it, There certainly would have if the film was done in Hollywood.

And it proves that there is still life in Afrikaans as a language.

This film is a drama that is thought provoking because its a true story. The set is the Cape flats in Cape town, a notorious area for gangsters and drugs and violent crime in general. The era is the 60s ,when the minority still ruled South Africa through a system of racial segregation called Apartheid. One day Abraham , a teen from a wonderful family goes through a very traumatic experience. His behavior changes and its not long before he is caught on the wrong side of the law and sent to prison. The conditions are appalling. Even today , the year 2016 prison conditions are still horrific in South Africa. While in priosn Abraham works on his gift of story telling while incarcerated. When he is released he has to choose to return to the life of crime or use his gift to earn an honest living. The only gripe i have is the lack of that broad 60s feel like Long walk to Freedom achieved (because of budgets constraints) but the actors try really hard make up for it and succeed. scenes.

In all honesty, I am one of those people who see a local production film pop up and think..."oh my word what are these South African's trying". At first glance without full knowledge of the background of this film, and just judging its cover I had the same summary, until I actually watched the movie. It was intense, thrilling and so touching that at some moments I felt my eyes fill with tears. This movie had me glued from the start until the end. Well done to the author, your life story is amazing and I am so glad you have shared it with the world. I would recommend this movie to everyone, young and old. It is inspiring and carries a message for all.

In contrast to some of the other reviews I've seen, i do not believe this film deserves a "brilliant", "very good" or even a "good" rating. Based on its content, the severe profanity, severe violence, drug and alcohol use, nudity etc, it also boggles the mind that this could be rated 16 (or even 15 in some countries). It is more deserving of an R rating.

In terms of acting, it is generally poor.

The film does depict the crime situation on the Cape Flats - which is terrible, to say the least - accurately, and this helps inform viewers of some of the issues especially younger people face there. This is in my opinion the only positive aspect of the film.

Lambent and artful, the picture is the most accurate depiction of the South African "number system". The term used by gangs, especially in prisons, to present order and influence in a world hidden from the ordinary.

The picture painstaking navigates the the lives of four young black (or more accurately, "Coloured", as one would term mixed-race people in South Africa) adolescent males beholden to an Apartheid regime that sought to ensure a certain death; socially and emotionally.

Reminiscent of Taylor Hackford's cult classic "Blood in, Blood out", the film will leave you speechless, showing a reality that was and still is.

Bravo!