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A grand, desolate expanse of hessian-rough desert, subject to unforgiving seasonal extremes of heat and ice, and whose scattered residents have mostly learned to live hard and die harder, South Africa’s Great Karoo is a region that really ought to have housed a thousand horse operas by now. It hasn’t, but an ambitious new generation of filmmakers is catching up to its possibilities. That atmospheric backdrop was the best thing last year’s overworked, Oscar-submitted period adventure “Sew the Winter to My Skin” had going for it; leaner, meaner and altogether more exciting is “Flatland,” an exhilarating fusion of contemporary western, policier and girls-gone-wild road movie that kicked off this year’s Berlinale Panorama program with a wallop.

The third feature from distinctively voiced writer-director Jenna Bass — who also co-wrote last year’s Kenyan Cannes headline-grabber “Rafiki” — “Flatland” represents something of a feminist milestone for a national cinema...

"After the radical, frigid and well-received Beauty (2011), young director Oliver Hermanus creates another study of obsession, this time about the fine line between victimhood and blame in the midst of a vendetta," begins Diana Dabrowska, writing for Cinema Scope. "Once again set in present-day South Africa, where racial tensions have hardly receded since the time of apartheid, The Endless River unfolds in three chapters, each of which is assigned to one of the major characters: Gilles (Nicolas Duvauchelle), Percie (Clayton Evertson), and Tiny (Crystal-Donna Roberts)." » - David Hudson...

"After the radical, frigid and well-received Beauty (2011), young director Oliver Hermanus creates another study of obsession, this time about the fine line between victimhood and blame in the midst of a vendetta," begins Diana Dabrowska, writing for Cinema Scope. "Once again set in present-day South Africa, where racial tensions have hardly receded since the time of apartheid, The Endless River unfolds in three chapters, each of which is assigned to one of the major characters: Gilles (Nicolas Duvauchelle), Percie (Clayton Evertson), and Tiny (Crystal-Donna Roberts)." » - David Hudson...

★★☆☆☆ Some linguistic determinism is at work in Oliver Hermanus' The Endless River (2015), a leaden-paced South African melodrama about the repercussions of a horrific crime. Percy (Clayton Evertson) has just been released from prison after serving four years for armed robbery. He is met by his loyal wife Tiny (Crystal-Donna Roberts), a waitress at a gas station diner. They live with her fiery Aunt Mona (Denise Newman) who is frankly sceptical of Percy's stated intention to reform and become a good husband. Meanwhile, Gilles (Claire Denis regular Nicolas Duvauchelle), a Frenchman arrived in South Africa with his young family, strikes up a friendship with Tiny at the restaurant where he goes to eat.

At home with his children and wife, there is an air of tension at the dinner table, and in the light of this, it is apparent that the flirting with Tiny is indicative of some dissatisfaction at home.