Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon (2005) User Reviews

An awesome local movie with international appeal

[rtmetel · 8/10 · 23 October 2006]

I loved this movie and wish that everyone who lives in South Africa and the rest of the world were mandated to view it because the overriding theme of xenophobia always rears it's head especially when issues like crime and poverty come to the fore.

Most South Africans have short memories. Whether it was 200 years ago with the 1820 settlers or just 5 years ago the majority of white South Africans originally came to this land filled with opportunity when their land of birth could not afford them this right.

This story is a story of the human spirit and a story of when you have a momentary connection with another human it does not necessarily mean that they will see it as you do.

Walking yields surprises

[J_J_Gittes · 10/10 · 18 January 2011]

South Africa. A young man is trying to cope with the change that has taken place in his country after the Apartheid regime has been overthrown. Life is going on as usual, as if nothing had happened and no one is responsible for the past. In the midst of his existential ponderings, he encounters a refugee woman, and decides to write a book about her life, after having had one conversation with her. But finding her again in Johannesburg seems an almost impossible task. On this journey he encounters lots of refugees and foreigners living in South Africa, and trying to cope with the loss of home while living in exile.

The film is a rather crude mixture between fictional and documentary that initially didn't really work for me. The director was mostly improvising the film as he was shooting and lots of the weaknesses of the "script" become obvious. But as the film strays from its initial path, the loose structure turns into an advantage as we are offered glimpses into the street life of Johannesburg, and we encounter - along with the unprepared protagonist - numerous interesting people.

The most engaging parts of the film are exactly the filmed streets where nothing seems to be happening at first glance, and the short interviews with the mixed inhabitants. What is the meaning of home, or where does a person belong to if his background isn't clearly defined, are some of the questions posed and answered. Variations on this topic are offered throughout. At the end, the film becomes a rich portrayal of a global(ized) community that can only be unified through humanity.

"Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon" won the prize of the ecumenical jury at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006.