Amandla

I was wrapped in this movie from start to finish.

The tale of two brothers overcoming a tragedy when the younger brother accidentally triggers a violent occurrence that will take them both on a fateful path.

They choose differing walks in life and the viewer hopes for a good end. A must see movie. All involved did a great job!

As "Amandla" (2022 release from South Africa; 106 min.) opens, we are introduced to 2 boys, Impi who celebrates his 11th birthday, and his younger brother Nkosana. It is "the Miller Farm, South Africa, 1897", and the boys live with their parents as servants to Boss Jakob and his family. Impi has a crush on Elizabeth, Boss Jakob's daughter, but one day they are found out, and it sets into motion a series of events nobody could've foreseen...

Couple of comments: this is a true South African production, set in and around Johannesburg and its surrounding township slums. This is the directing debut of South African actress Nerina De Jager. Much of the film's dialogue is in one of the Zulu languages (among the blacks) and Afrikaans (among the whites). The main story line is in essence a variation of the Cain and Abel bible story, but set in modern day South Africa, mostly playing out in the mid/late 1990s. To say those were tumultuous times would be a Manhattan-sized understatement, with continuing tensions between the black and white communities and the harsh conditions of the gang crime-infested townships like Soweto. Please note there are several scenes in the film that may make you uncomfortable. Bottom line: this is a tough yet moving siblings relationship drama that plays out in the later years of apartheid and then the early years of the Mandela era.

"Amandla" premiered last weekend on Netflix, and I watched it last night. If you are in the mood for a tough yet moving siblings relationship drama set in modern South Africa, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

The sad thing about this movie is that it has an amazing cast of seasoned actors but whilst watching it, you will not be able to tell because of the over acting. I think they needed time for character development and to establish relationships between the charaters thus I think perhaps if this was a series it would of been good.

The story feels like something you've seen hundreds of times before which I do not mix when it's done well but unfortunately the writing seemed constrained by the budget.

While it is a well-made movie and it does have a interesting premise and I appreciated that this movie is fast paced, what hurts Amandla for me are pretty much almost everything else. The bland performances along with cringey dialogue, a story that ultimately leads nowhere, weak direction, below average overall screenplay, a ending that I totally saw coming & was incredibly predictable, weak character development, and a pretty useless social commentary that adds little to nothing to help advance the story.

I don't recommend this South African Netflix Original.

This film was rooted in some significant socially and historically relevant occurrences but it played out more dramatically than anticipated. It was executed well but it could have done with some silver linings. It goes from bad to worse and although it wasn't my personal cup of tea some people who are fans of stories (like The Kite Runner) that might resemble many real lives, in which people experience unrelenting sequences of harrowing ordeals, would enjoy this.

Good execution of a really really sad South Africam film. Great performances all round.