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| Mary Twala Mhlongo in This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection |
Cast: Mary Twala Mhlongo, Jerry Mofokeng Wa, Makhaola Ndebele, Tseko Monaheng, Siphiwe Nzima-Ntskhe, Thabiso Makoto, Thab Letsie, Silas Monyatse, Aleandro Florio, Sarah Weber. Screenplay: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese. Cinematography: Pierre de Villiers. Art direction: Leila Walter. Film editing: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese. Music: Yu Miyashita.
Deeply touching and sometimes astonishingly beautiful. Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese's This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection is a fable about the tensions of the modern world, most centrally about tradition and change. Mantoa (the compelling Mary Twala Mhlongo) is a woman who has suffered the loss of her family, and now patiently -- perhaps a little impatiently -- awaits her death. Her main hope is to be buried with her family in the valley where they lived. But that hope is thwarted when surveyors and engineers arrive in the valley bringing news that it's to be flooded by the construction of a new dam. Soon she is confronting not only the government of Lesotho but also some powerful local authorities. Her resistance gains support from other villagers, but not enough to stem the tide of what some call progress. (The village chief says, "Every time I say the word progress, my tongue rolls backward.") It's a simple story of people imbued with faith, maintained by the village priest, but also tinged with skepticism. Part of the film is narrated by a man (Jerry Mofokeng Wa) who plays a lesiba, a musical instrument native to Lesotho and South Africa. At one point he narrates the history of the valley, which was settled by people fleeing a plague, and with the arrival of Christianity the village was named Nazaretha. A new god had arrived, the lesiba player comments, but now perhaps another new god is appearing. The cinematography of Pierre de Villiers provides a rich color palette for Mosese's thoughtful story.
