Amandla

The reviews here are mixed as you can see but this movie can seem overwrought at times and hokey at other times. However the acting is powerful and it is not a Hollywood movie although the plot is nothing new and , yes , maybe even somewhat predictable. The actual locations , the language and , again the acting is powerful and I would say realistic. I sat down to review it as soon as I finished watching it because I believe it deserves a wide audience it stands out in my mind when compared to other movies. All I can say is that the characters are so well developed that they literally jump off the screen and into your soul. The movie has its faults but it's holds up and , I believe , achieves its objective. Perhaps not for everyone but I want more than 'entertainment.

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.

Terrible stereotyping of all races in South-Africa, framed by ludicrous characters that are highly unlikely in modern South-Africa.

The director and producer have failed miserably in flogging a long dead horse, they should actually be ashamed about their lack of invention and creativity, the money could have been spent well somewhere else.

Some of the cinematography was nice outside, the inside scenes looked over-staged and student like.

This is tragedy from start to end. The younger brother seems quite selfish and naive to his brothers situation after the parent situation. To still not help help him properly when he really needed it...and the end....what was the point of his brothers sacrifices, if this was going to be the end.