A terrific movie dealing with love, life and death in the ghettos of Soweto. In politically turbulent South Africa, a carefree thug is arrested and jailed along with political prisoners with whom he has no associations. In this film, Panic (played by co-writer Thomas Mogotlane) a carefree small time crook, has been living in a small backroom at Ma Modise's place in Soweto and would occasionally venture into the hustle and bustle Johannesburg's city centre to conduct pickpocketing and other petty crimes or to visit his domestic servant girlfriend (played by Thembi Mtshali) who works for a white family, generally to ask her for money. Even tough Panic has always remained rather indifferent to the struggle, the police see in him a potential informer who they can use to spy on the unionist and other activists they have arrested. Panic is alternatively cajoled and tortured until he is forced to take a stand that may cost him his life... |
