Director Christiaan Olwagen has carefully molded a sombre masterpiece, relieved brilliantly by moments of crazy humour and trippy dream sequences. Afrikaans films have – for decades – made it taboo to depict real sex, drugs and foul language because of its deep rooted protestant history. This film smashes all the holy cows with gusto and flair. It's a poignant tale of South Africa's most prominent Afrikaans anti-apartheid activist and musician, Johannes Kerkorrel.
What makes this film work, strangely, is that we see the titular character through the eyes of his band mates. This means that Johnny is always there, but not there and it is exactly this – the idea that he doesn't command every scene - that not only implies his vulnerability, but also the fact that, Johannes Kerkorrel (Johnny) is not with us anymore. The camera work reminds strongly of the Revenant and Birdman, sometimes a little too much so. Perhaps it only adds to the sense of the drug-induced dream state that occupies so much of these characters' lives. The dream sequences (are they dreams though?) are some of the finest I've seen in any film. I couldn't help but feel my head spinning through some of these sequences.
The climatic idea, delivered after the careful unraveling of this story was incredibly powerful. This film is especially poignant for the disillusioned, minority Afrikaner dealing with the guilt of Apartheid and the constant blame that came after the fall of the ideology. Bravo!! Highest recommendation.
What makes this film work, strangely, is that we see the titular character through the eyes of his band mates. This means that Johnny is always there, but not there and it is exactly this – the idea that he doesn't command every scene - that not only implies his vulnerability, but also the fact that, Johannes Kerkorrel (Johnny) is not with us anymore. The camera work reminds strongly of the Revenant and Birdman, sometimes a little too much so. Perhaps it only adds to the sense of the drug-induced dream state that occupies so much of these characters' lives. The dream sequences (are they dreams though?) are some of the finest I've seen in any film. I couldn't help but feel my head spinning through some of these sequences.
The climatic idea, delivered after the careful unraveling of this story was incredibly powerful. This film is especially poignant for the disillusioned, minority Afrikaner dealing with the guilt of Apartheid and the constant blame that came after the fall of the ideology. Bravo!! Highest recommendation.
