Thursday, May 26, 2011

Life, Above All ? review

An unflinching study of the Aids stigma and how it affects one girl's life in South Africa. There is huge warmth and humanism alongside the bleakness, says Cath Clarke

Hypocrisy, ignorance and fear are seen with almost unbearable clarity through the eyes of a South African girl in this unflinching study of Aids stigma. Not that anyone ever says the word "Aids": in the village they call it "the bug". Newcomer Khomotso Manyaka is heart-wrenching as Chanda, a heroic 12 year-old driven by a child's crystal-clear sense of injustice. We meet Chanda choosing a coffin for her baby sister; her drunken stepdad is a waste of space, her devoted mum seriously ill, putting the burden of looking after the family on her tiny shoulders. It sounds batteringly bleak, but there is huge warmth and humanism, in the vivid details of daily life and superb performances ? even if the cathartic ending is a little simplistic.

Rating: 3/5


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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/may/26/life-above-all-review

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