Netflix’s “Amandla”: Movie Review
Two young Zulu boys (Impi and Nkosana Khumalo) who grew up in a healthy environment with their parents; who worked for the White race that sheltered them after the arrest of Martin Luther King which caused mass massacre.Tragedy met the Khumalos when the two boys encountered a group of White boys; who killed their parents; and where in search for their lives too.
Written and directed by the Nerina De Jager, Amandla showcases Lemogang Tsipa (Impi) and Thabo Rametsi (Nkosana) in leading roles. The movie is tragedy depiction of the exploitation of the deprived in South Africa, and the reality of its struggle is haunting.
After years of seeking shelter and surviving hardship in Isando, the two boys fall on opposing sides of life.
As one embarked a clean life and the other lived a dirty street life to meet carter for his younger brother. This was the beginning of their journey to test their loyalty, bond with each other and with their childhood white friend, Elizabeth.
Impi was called a ‘Ghost’ because he committed crimes and was never caught. He then meets Shaka, who forced him to join their notorious group even after he pleaded that he was travelling to Kwazulu start a clean life with his new family.
Impi joining the group, made his life more difficult, and brought more tragedy and guilt to him especially with mutilating Elizabeth and the death of his wife. The movie, Amandla is not without flaws as the narrative of the story made it look like they didn’t had a focus or shared common pain about their race and deaths that surrounded them.
The fate of the two brother falls on opposing sides of the law. While Impi was into crime and had to take care of is wife, Aina and daughter, Nomusa (he named her after his mother’s name), His younger brother, Nkosana was a police officer who was meant to stop crimes and protect lives.
Just as the white couple had sheltered their family, an unknown mother took charge to raise Impi’s daughter Nomusa as her own. Much like their parents, Impi and his girlfriend Alina lost their lives at the cold arms hands of fate.
Nkosana laid his life for the only person who cared the most for him in this world, and they left as a brother in the cold arms of death. The brothers proved that they will forever ride or die for one another. It was a sad ending for the khumalos.
Amandla means “power,” The name of the movie is intriguing You may ask, where is the “power” in the movie? Who had it? Did the two boys who were shot in the end by a racist cop have it? The movie showed that the people with the real power being the ones standing alive
The movie tells you more about life that sometimes, there is no hope of getting revenge even when you are right because the society is not always fair especially in a dominant race or society like the Whites.
This is a sad fictional tale situated in a time and people who had real pain. You might have expected to see the surviving Khumalos taking revenge over the death of their parents or the society but that was not in the plot.
The irony is that the person who would have helped the situation, Miss Elizabeth through her Freedom Fighter scheme was the one who was killed by the people who she would have probably redeemed.
People who commits crimes are filled with hopelessness from the society they live, the movie conjures up images of strength, guilt, love, dignity and survival It exposes crime, racism, test loyalty and shows the importance in blood and family. The fact that this film does not support violence or promote criminal conduct adds to its appeal and a moral lesson to the society.
Choice of actors and actresses was well thought which made the film great, the two actors played their roles well and highlighted the context of the movie.
You may want to read ‘Netflix’s “Amandla”: Ending Explained’ here
Initial release: 21 January 2022
Director: Nerina De Jager
Distributed by: Netflix
Costume design: Anel Kleynhans
Editor: Ronelle Loots
Production design: Vicky Sawkins
CAST
Impi Khumalo- Lemogang Tsipa
Nkosana Khumalo- Thabo Rametsi
Shaka- Israel Matseke Zulu
Elizabeth Muller– Liza Van Deventer
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