Out of Africa, a coming-of-age tale

It’s about a mother-daughter relationship, and a coming-of-age of Chanda who entering her teens, has to look after her two small siblings and her sick mother.

Her mother, we find out is dying from Aids. And her neighbours who go regularly to church, lose their charitable inclinations out of fear and disgust and ignorance.

It’s a film where most of the characters are women, and they are equally strong in their performances.

Chanda is played by first time actress, 13-year-old Khomotso Manyaka, who is quite remarkable in her role.

“She has a Buddha-like quality which gives her tremendous calm and helps her in life, ” remarks director Oliver Schmitz who says he’s “in awe of her.”

But the other actresses in this mainly female cast are also remarkable: Lerato Mvelase as Lillian, her mother; Harriet Manamela as the well-meaning and bossy neighbour, and Mapaseka Mathebe as Iris, Chanda’s orphan friend who has a stinking reputation in the community.

The dialogue is largely in the local language Pedi, and while Schmitz is happy his film was selected for the Cannes Film Festival, he says it is important that the local audiences can connect with it.

And even if the film has a sad ending, it is uplifting.

Oliver Schmitz says its partly because, “I’m an optimistic person and a humanist... and I want to give hope that situations can change and people move on and we can get some action.”

It’s customary for the audience to give a standing ovation after the screenings in in Cannes when the crews are present.

At the end of Life, Above All - a film with that certain special cinema magic, where all the elements come together - Schmitz and his colleagues had to stand for a comparatively longer time, more than five minutes, before the applause, and cheers, died down.

An E-motion picture. An important picture.