Triomf - The Movie

*Original Post – Monday, June 08 2009, 11:20pm

So I rounded up a couple of friends that were willing to watch the South African made movie based on a South African novel written by Marlene Van Niekerk - Triomf tells a tale of a poor white Afrikaner family that lives in the placed formally known as Sophiatown.

The time is 1994. And the political landscape is about to undergo a dramatic change. They are uncertain, yet certain of doom. The movie was surprisingly well directed and executed. There were a lot of uncomfortable scenes that make us all cringe. Like the incestuous scene involving the mentally retarded 20-year-old boy and his mother. How uncomfortable and highly disturbing! The movie touches on a lot of sensitive hush hush topics regarding Afrikaner families and the grim truth that the walls would tell if they could.

The story is one that didn’t focus too much on politics but gave a good indication of how things were back then for poor white South Africans. An angle I had personally never seen but have always been curios to explore.

Countless laugh out loud scenes made the teeth grindingly uncomfortable one a teeny bit easier to sit through.

I’m proud that South Africans are becoming more willing to uncover the real truth about our horrible past.

The stories need to be told. Only then can we heal as a nation.

We’re so infatuated with covering up our unbalanced and unfair past and equally obsessed with moving forward without addressing the emotions experienced that undoubtedly prevail to this day, that we can’t simply (ok, maybe not so simple) stop and look back and dissect.

The level of horror violent crimes endured by citizens of this country is a sure sign of the kind of deep-seated anger burdening men and women of this land.

I’d be interested in seeing how many Saffies actually knew about if let alone went out to watch it.

Reminds me of a movie released a few years ago “Catch a fire” that uncovered the truth we all read about in history books. I wonder how many bums warmed seats in the theaters during its duration.

I’m convinced we’re a nation scared to stare our past in the face and work through our faults.

It’s needed.

Desperately so.

Triomf was screened in the smallest theatre at the Labia Theatre - an independent movie theatre in Cape Town.

Indicative of the kind of people we are.

Seeds have been planted and are expected not to flourish into something. Trees are sprouting all over the place, those of anger, frustration, self-hatred and intolerance. They need to be pruned and healed.

*Once again due to my undeniable attachment to procrastination (this was written a hefty 6 months ago, but only getting shared now)