Talking Movies: Pou, Freedom and Those Who Wish Me Dead
Spling reviews Pou, Freedom and Those Who Wish Me Dead as broadcast on Talking Movies, Fine Music Radio. Listen to podcast.
TRANSCRIPT
Good morning – welcome to Talking Movies, I’m Spling…
This week, we’re talking about a gothic horror drama, a crime drama and a crime drama thriller.
Starting off with a film now on Prime Video…
POU
A woman banished from a puritanical organisation is forced to care for one of its founding members.
Director: Jaco Minnaar
Stars: Tarryn Wyngaard, Johan Botha and Alida Theron
– Pou or Peacock is what one would describe as elevated horror, influenced by the work of David Lynch, Ari Aster and Robert Eggers.
– The eerie, unsettling and stylish film takes place on an isolated farm where an ailing and disturbed Apartheid-era theologian resides.
– Wyngaard stars opposite Botha, both delivering iconic performances that underscore and compel this gothic horror drama as the old and new collide.
– Wyngaard’s enigmatic character is enhanced by her enchanting beauty in a bold and transformative performance.
– A stark contrast in almost all respects, Botha’s performance is just as brave and haunting, inhabiting every nook of his afflicted relic of a character.
– While the story’s brushstrokes are broad and themes are lofty, the elegant cinematography and edit keep pace with the dark gothic tone of this visually-striking horror drama.
– Pivoting off its farmhouse location, it creates a nightmarish vision and atmosphere, hinting at its many horror influences without caving into them.
– Pou leverages Wyngaard’s steady screen presence, delves into the dark recesses of the Afrikaner psyche and explores the evolution of moral codes against the trappings of conservatism.
– While ambitious, it rarely oversteps the mark to serve as one of the best and most elegant horrors to come out of South Africa.
A solid 7 on the splingometer!
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Moving on to a film on Showmax…
FREEDOM
A university student’s life spirals out of control after a run-in with a loan shark.
Director: Ralph Ziman, Jafta Mamabolo
Stars: Jafta Mamabolo, Nicole Mathope and Jeffrey Sekele
– Freedom is loosely based on Dostoevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment’, set against the backdrop of the #FeesMustFall movement in South Africa.
– Centred on a student of philosophy named Freedom, the young man’s intellect and sense of superiority is compromised when he commits a crime.
– Trying to rescue a girl who’s become caught up in prostitution, her drunken father who’s lost his way and prevent a hypocrite from marrying into the family, he struggles to come to terms with his unwieldy predicament, moral quagmire and ill-gotten gains.
– Mamabolo is co-director and the SAFTA-winning writer turned leading actor behind Freedom, whose conviction and turmoil is its life blood.
– Jeffrey Sekele’s stern performance is noteworthy with Nicole Mathope, Kenneth Nkosi and the late Mary Twala rounding off a stellar local cast.
– While modest, this production has finesse – reconfiguring ‘Crime and Punishment’ and leaning on social realism to mold to the South African landscape.
– Touching on a number of timely issues, Freedom has a good balance when it comes to dialogue and pacing – taking its time to craft relatable characters and draw them together in a crime-riddled Hillbrow community.
– Sharp performances and thought-provoking drama offer a window into a student’s world and his ever-tightening moral outlook.
– While there are some storytelling interchanges that could’ve used more spit ‘n polish and the film is constrained by budget, there’s a slow-burning confidence and intensity to this taut crime drama.
A satisfactory 6 on the splingometer!
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And finally a movie on Showmax…
THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD
A teenage murder witness and survivalist are pursued by twin assassins in the wilderness as a forest fire threatens to consume them all.
Director: Taylor Sheridan
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult and Finn Little
– Sheridan’s writing credits include: Hell or High Water, Sicario and Wind River making him a Hollywood screenwriter with serious clout.
– While Wind River gave us an inside look at how he translated his own script as a director, Those Who Wish Me Dead is a messier affair.
– On the plus side, it sees the return of Angelina Jolie who could have just as easily directed this neo-western, headlining a sharp cast.
– She enjoys excellent chemistry with newcomer Finn Little whose rugged charm and innocence sees him stealing a few scenes.
– The story has intrigue, plummeting a ruthless manhunt into the full throes of a natural disaster as the stakes escalate.
– Flashbacks haunt as the offer of redemption presents itself in a do-or-die mission to get a child out of harm’s way.
– As the title and Sheridan’s previous works would suggest, this is a violent and relentless crime drama thriller.
– While it has great promise on paper, the outworking isn’t quite as impressive… from patchy plotting and rather arbitrary foreshadowing to a simple lack of forethought.
– Those Who Wish Me Dead has its moments, hinting at deeper themes, but boils down to a relatively simple and entertaining missed opportunity, mostly redeemed by its surprising intensity, game cast and good chemistry.
– It did just enough to land…
A satisfactory 6 on the splingometer!
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So just to wrap up…
POU… this edgy, elegant and intriguing horror drama tips the hat and wields iconic performances and powerful, timely themes… A solid 7!
FREEDOM… sharp performances, thoughtful dialogue, timely themes and a dose of social realism underpin this modest crime drama… A satisfactory 6!
THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD… a solid cast and good co-lead chemistry drive this tense, messy, unwieldy and violent crime drama thriller… A satisfactory 6!
For more movie reviews and previous Talking Movies podcasts visit splingmovies.com.
And remember, Don’t WING it, SPL!NG it!
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