This Is Not a Burial, It's A Resurrection

This Is Not a Burial, It's A Resurrection is a powerful drama that symbolizes the rich tradition of African storytelling through a cinematic lens. Released in 2019, the film represents a cultivated perspective of life, death, memory, and community.

The film's protagonist is the 80-year-old widow Mantoa, played with exquisite grace and gravitas by the late Mary Twala, a renowned veteran actress of South African cinema. Her performance in this film has earned her posthumous fame, cementing her legacy with an unforgettable portrayal of strength, resilience, and determination.

We begin our journey with Mantoa, eagerly awaiting her own death after the loss of her husband, son, daughter and lately, her only surviving family member - a miner who died in a far-off work accident. However, Mantoa's self-imposed isolation in the small village of Nasaretha in the mountains of Lesotho is disrupted by the news of an upcoming dam reservoir project. This project, sanctioned by the government, threatens to uproot the villagers and flood the region, therein submerging the village’s cemetery under water. Suddenly, Mantoa finds herself thrust into a communal narrative, where she must fight not just for her resting place but for the memory and heritage of an entire community.

The film is directed by Jeremiah Lemonhang Mosese in a manner that propagates a surreal and dreamlike quality. His lavish and ornate visualization reflects the internal battle of Mantoa and the external challenges that encroach on Nassaretha. Despite the constraints of a minimal budget, nothing feels cheap about this film. Mosese creates a fusion of the raw and the beautiful, the brutal and the tender, the present and the timeless, in an extraordinary portrait of an encroached community.

The cinematography, handled by Pierre De Villiers, is simply astounding. The carefully calculated frames bear a haunting quality that becomes a visual narration of Mantoa's fight. This is supplemented by an impressive sound design, where Yu Miyashita's score is used sparingly yet effectively. The silence becomes just as significant as the carefully crafted ambient noises, reinforcing the themes and moods of the existing scenes.

Complementing Mary Twala's stellar performance are a host of well-crafted characters, including co-stars Jerry Mofokeng and Makhaola Ndebele. Mofokeng brings much-needed dynamism to the screen as the village preacher, and Ndebele, as parliament adviser, provides a perfect depiction of a representative detached from the struggles of the villagers.

The film balances its careful consideration of the individual—the tale of Mantoa's personal discontent—with the political. The issue of displacement, symbolic of a larger global crisis, is thoughtfully presented. The clash between tradition and modernity is a focal point, but also the resistance against the erasure of history and heritage.

Importantly, 'This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection' is less about defeat and more about affirmation. It's a story steeped in resistance, not only of Mantoa, but of a community holding on steadfastly to their roots. Richly metaphoric and symbolically layered, the movie illustrates life as a cycle of transitions. Mosese masterfully handles the premise, making certain the audience grasively understands the social implications of such a narrative.

The stakes are high and the emotional pitch intense, but the storytelling remains grounded and the characters remain authentic. The audience gets a firm grasp of the character’s world, the threats they face, and the hope they find within themselves to combat these threats. The film intelligently portrays a deeply moving narrative without allowing it to cascade into melodrama.

In the end, 'This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection' is a poignant meditation on memory, history, and the rituals of life and afterlife. It’s a story of resistance- an homage to the forgotten, the erased, and the invisible. In addition to its well-laid plotline, it also offers a mesmerizing audio-visual experience for its audience. It is a film that will make you ponder the meaning of life, the importance of legacy, and the power of one person to make a difference in the collective destiny. Isaiah Eseng Dipalo's narration as an unnamed bard makes the film a living folk-tale, immortalizing the issues it raises.

'This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection' is a defining work in African cinema, a testament to the power of storytelling and a tribute to those who refuse to be forgotten. It leaves you neither hopeless nor overtly hopeful, merely contemplative and profoundly affected.