FILM REVIEW: Slice of Indian daily life in authentic gangster thriller
Filmmaker Sara Blecher’s new film, Mayfair, tells a tale of a conflict between Indians, who first lived in the Johannesburg suburb, and new immigrants
Prolific filmmaker Sara Blecher first came to national attention in 2011 with her film Otelo Burning, which could have easily been just an ordinary story of a black guy aspiring to become a surfer, but was a fantastic offering that got everyone talking for much of the year. The award-winning director has since released other successful movies, including Ayanda (2015), Dis Ek Anna (2015) and now Mayfair, a gangster tale set in Johannesburg. Blecher insists that making a blockbuster is not her goal, though she would welcome such a development as long as creativity was not trampled on. “My purpose in making movies is to tell a truly South African story in an aesthetically authentic way, without compromising creativity. If someone makes a movie in order to make a blockbuster and make money in the process, creativity suffers. In Mayfair, there is a good balance,” she says.
“Without going too much into the details, in Mayfair there is gunfire, blood and a dark side to human existenc...
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