Mapantsula (1988)
- General info
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- Synopsis:
A true classic of South African cinema. The film captures precisely and evocatively the politically charged atmosphere of the country in the late 1980's, when apartheid was at its most oppressive and destructive in daily life. Panic stalks the streets of Jo'burg, waiting and lurking around street corners. Panic is a small-time crook specialising in picking pockets and mugging at knife-point. His criminal exploits are mostly solo, though on occasion he works with a partner. In one of the most memorable performances of South African film, Thomas Mogotlane creates the character of Panic. Whether moving slickly on the street, bullying his way at the shebeen, eluding his landlady, or taking advantage of his domestic-worker girlfriend - Panic is unforgettable. But it is his journey from petty thief to man of principle that is the true fabric of the film. Arrested one day with a group of political activists, Panic is interrogated by the security police. He is offered all sorts of financial inducements to testify against - the activists sharing his prison cell. It is these moments that he is forced to make some life altering decisions. - Actors:
- Thomas Mogotlane, Marcel Van Heerden, Thembi Mtshali, Dolly Rathebe, Peter Sephuma, Darlington Michaels, Eugene Majola, Gabriel Dichwabe, Brad Morris, Polite Dlamini, Duma Nyembe, Jerry Mokgoko, Similo Makhambi, Boitumelo Dijoe, Arthur Molepo, Michael Copley, Louis Seboko, Nana Motijoane, Mesh Mapetla, Simon Sabela
- Directors:
- Oliver Schmitz
- Producers:
- Max Montocchio, Oliver Schmitz
- Writers:
- Oliver Schmitz, Thomas Mogotlane
- Genres:
- Drama
- Countries:
- South Africa
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Reviews (1) of Mapantsula
One Man’s Hustle, A Nation’s Awakening - Mapantsula review by griggs
Oliver Schmitz’s Mapantsula is often called South Africa’s first anti-apartheid feature film made from inside the system — shot in the late 1980s with the authorities breathing down its neck. That alone makes it more than a film; it’s a political artefact, a piece of history smuggled onto the screen.
At its centre is Panic, a petty thief forever hustling, spinning lies, and chasing quick money while dodging the cops. Revolution couldn’t be further from his mind, until arrest and interrogation strip away the swagger and leave him staring down choices bigger than himself.
Schmitz grounds it in gritty detail — shebeens, township bars buzzing with life, cramped flats bursting at the seams, raids smashing doors off their hinges. But the pulse is political: defiance surfacing in the cracks of daily survival. Mapantsula works as a street drama, but its real charge comes from showing how even a hustler backed into a corner can find himself swept into a nation’s fight.