The much-anticipated Happiness Is A Four-Letter WordA is a relatable film that showcases strong SA talent.
|||HAPPINESS IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD
Director: Thabang Moleya
Cast: Khanyi Mbau, Mmabatho Montsho, Renate Stuurman, Tongayi Chirisa, Richard Lukunku and Chris Attoh
Classification: PG 10-12
Running Time: 92 minutes
Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
South Africa is a young democracy so it makes sense that it took local film-makers a while to tell stories other than the gloom that emanated from our dark political past. This is not to say those stories should have not been told, it’s just that after a while they were told at the expense of other subjects like sports, adventure and love.
But we are getting there now. We have had Invictus which was a sports film, and District 9 which ticked a few boxes from action to sci-fi. Yet back then we had not quite delved into the subject most of us go gaga over: love. It seems screenwriters and directors all noticed this around the same time because we have been getting many love-themed movies of late. Some of these include Fanie Fourie’s Lobola, Ayanda, Thina Sobabili and Tell Me Sweet Something.
Added to that list is the much-anticipated Happiness Is A Four-Letter Word which will surprise a many people on the local and international fronts. Directed by Thabang Moleya, the film sets itself apart from anything else you might have seen on the continent. The first thing that will hit your gaze, before we even get to the actors, is the production quality. The clarity and lushness of colour is possibly best described by the first sight a blind person has after a successful cornea operation. The edges of the buildings, the greenery of the flora and the skin colour of the actors are all so real you might think you are watching a 3-D production.
Moleya’s team made extensive use of drones to hover over buildings and create amazing establishing shots and fade-ins. These are the shots that we would normally only see when Hollywood visits us.
Based on the novel by Cynthia Jele, the story follows three women – Nandi (Montsho), Zaza, ( Mbau) and Princess (Stuurman) – who are on a quest to find true love. Nandi is engaged to be married, Zaza is married, but unhappy, and Princess is not into commitment. Given that they are close friends, the women trade stories about how hard it is to find the elusive Mr Right. When an old flame reappears in Nandi’s life, with a secret admirer falling in love with Zaza and Princess finally finding love, the trio have to help each other navigate a landscape pregnant with emotional landmines.
Hats off to Jele for penning this one because many people will be able to relate to it. It’s also important to show Africans as progressive with problems other than the fear of being devoured by wild animals (The Ghost And The Darkness, Prey), Aids (Yesterday), or apartheid (Sarafina). All the main characters are accomplished young adults with good careers, giving the story a fresh perspective to what else happens on this side of the world.
The inclusions of Zimbabwean actor Chirisa, Ghanaian Chris Attoh and South African Lukunku (born in the DRC) not only provide the ladies with countless minutes of chiselled torsos, but opens the local viewer to talent beyond our borders. This perhaps explains why the dialogue is only in English. This means that not only will the English-speaking countries in Africa catch it, but the rest of the world, too.
While everyone’s acting is commendable, it is Mbau who, despite being the least qualified, carries the film with her believable expressions and natural talent.
On the down side, some of the dialogue is a bit longer than necessary so you might lose concentration. There are also some scenes that feel like something out of a Tyler Perry film, which is disheartening.
Songbird Lira and her husband are executive producers and the singer also has her hits sprinkled throughout the film.
Overall, it’s a good attempt at a genre we are only just beginning to explore.
If you liked Daddy’s Little Girls, White Wedding and Why Did I Get Married?, you will like this.