White Wedding

Saw “White Wedding” this weekend, after hearing from a colleague that it was very good. I’m pleased to say that it really, really was. In fact, it was totally delightful.

This is the first genuinely funny South African movie I’ve ever seen. And apart from that, most of the characters are extremely engaging, particularly the two male leads, mostly Kenneth Nkosi (Elvis) and Rapulana Seiphemo (Tumi).

One of the highlights was a standout scene near the beginning of the film where the furious girlfriend of Tumi collects Elvis from the bus station and takes him to Tumi’s flat. Unfortunately, I can’t find the name of the girlfriend character, but she was marvellous.

On a more serious note, the movie really did seem to capture aspects of ‘real’ South Africa that are difficult to accept - the fact that small towns full of racists still exist; that a white woman travelling with two black men will most likely raise suspicion and fear; that a woman wandering around on her own for a prolonged period of time stands a chance of being raped and/or murdered.  

Importantly, though, the movie also highlighted how tiny acts of kindness by individuals can affect the lives of very many in the most profound ways.

The movie featured also featured British actor Jodie Whittaker as Rose, Zandile Msutwana as Ayanda, and Marcel Van Heerden as Fanie.

Please go see it.