(Mmabatho Montsho, Khanyi Mbau & Renate
Stuurman)
Female leads extraordinary in their portrayal of their
characters and don’t pull any punches. (Review by Pranesh Maharaj)
Happiness is a
Four-Letter Word was released in cinemas on February 19, 2016.
Cinematography is by Lance Gewer and screenplay by Busisiwe Ntilintili.
I walked in with prejudices; lots of them; like four. Will
this movie live up to the standards of Hard
to Get’? Are South African audiences ready for this type of film? Are our
actors ready for this type of film? Would this be different to Sex and the City or is it just a Jozie
version?
Following a little array of short speeches the movie starts
and I could see the director, Thabang Moleya, slowly
working his way into our minds; introducing us to the world of this story and
slowly, yet again, immersing us into it.
Ten minutes into it, I spoke to myself “Well-cast…” The
scenes are short enough to tell you the story and move it along. There are wow
moments and ouch moments spread evenly through the script. Our female leads are
extraordinary in their portrayal of their characters and they don’t pull any
punches. Mmabatho Montsho plays
Nandi, a lawyer and compulsive perfectionist, Khanyi Mbau plays Zaza, a
go-getter who lives the high life as a trophy wife and Renate Stuurman plays
the role of Princess, a trend-setting art gallery owner.
Happiness is a Four Letter Word is a completely different and brave
genre compared to Hard to Get (by the
same production house). South African audiences are ready for this type of
film. Our actors have what it takes to deliver this genre to an international
audience. This is not a Jozie version of SITC.
Albeit a universal story, the South African flavour cannot be denied. If you
have not as yet in this new democracy met a Nandi, a Zaza or a Princess then
you need to get out more.
Credit to the
writer of the novel, Nozizwe Cynthia Jele, in that this story has been constructed to first, establish
the characters needs only to be destroyed by what they want; ending in getting
what they deserve: happiness. We are reminded that we are not perfect and that
accepting this about ourselves is as important as accepting it about others;
mainly our significant others.
Technically it
worked perfectly; with beautiful shots and a bit too tight at times but even a
trained eye could miss those little moments. The sound was excellent but I did
feel that the editor wasn’t feeling adventurous enough. Again, it was
technically spot on.
Above all;
Nandi’s story stood out for me. I felt that it was the main story and that the
stories of the other two ladies were additional threads. Or maybe; I identify
more with Nandi’s story. Then again Mmbatho Montsho excelled in this role. Her
character was real and tangible from the start. Tongayi Chirisa was very natural as her live-in partner
who also has a child with his ex. Their chemistry was so unique for a story like
this that you couldn’t help but root for them to get back together in the end.
Now I will never forget that line; “Merlot and avocado trees.”
Is this a chick
flick? Yes. Should guys watch it? Yes. Why? Because we are in it. The strong
male cast is a collective representation of who guys are and what they
typically go through in relationships. There is no strong language and no nude
scenes. Hands off FPB.
Go and watch
this; but don’t go with that attitude: “oh, we going to support Local”. This
film carries its weight; enough to compete on an international platform and I
sincerely hope it reaches there. Kudos to the production team; Junaid Ahmed and Helena Spring, and producer Bongiwe Selane;
who were brave enough to tackle this. Stop biting
your nails; it will definitely sell. – Pranesh Maharaj
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