As the title indicates, Teboho Edkins first dreamt of a “gangster film.” In Cape Town,
no need for a actors, says the apprentice filmmaker, they’re a dime a dozen, you
should just need a good casting. And here he is accompanied by his sound
engineer looking for their actors. From meetings in remote areas on the outskirts of
the city, with a disturbing reputation, in nocturnal car rides in red-light districts, the
filmmaker imitates Hollywood legends in order to try to enlist them. But little by little
the images disintegrate. Stories of some in prison, others who remember a
murdered friend. Fear, mourning, boredom and petty dealings are a distant cry from
the expected flamboyant figures. Behind the myths, everyday realities turn out to
be trivial. What to do? To link together the two will be the daring response: mixing
acted scenes with documentary shots, without it being too obvious, since here
posturing is acceptable. In the end, no “film,” just assembled moments, in project
form, that must be left as is, with no dramatic conclusion. A bitter after-taste remains:
the harshness of survival in an hostile environment where everything comes at a
heavy price and indifferent death is on the prowl in all its crude banality. (NF)