Glasshouse, Mr Johnson and more great South African movies to stream now
We have much to be proud of in South Africa, not least a vibrant film industry that turns out some truly wonderful entertainment.
It’s one of the best reviewed films of 2021 internationally – and science fiction thriller Glasshouse was made right here in South Africa.
It’s set after The Shred, an airborne virus that causes dementia, has left most humans roaming like lost and dangerous animals, unable to remember who they are.
Confined to their airtight glasshouse, a family does what they must to survive – until the sisters are seduced by a stranger who upsets the family’s rituals, unearthing a past they have tried to bury.
Glasshouse had its world premiere at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Canada in August 2021, receiving multiple five-star reviews and an 89% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Guardian gave it four stars, calling it “a sinister, seductive meditation on memory, desire and loss”; Film Threat’s Lorry Kitka singled it out as her “favourite film of the year so far”; Exclaim proclaimed, “Kelsey Egan is a filmmaker to keep an eye on” and Pop Culture Planet included Jessica Alexander (who also stars in the upcoming remake of The Little Mermaid) in their list of the Best Performances of 2021, in good company alongside the likes of Jennifer Coolidge in The White Lotus.
Glasshouse stars Alexander and critically acclaimed newcomer Anja Taljaard as the sisters, Bee and Evie, opposite Hilton Pelser (the BAFTA-nominated Moffie, the upcoming remake of Dangerous Liaisons) as The Stranger.
Film and theatre veteran Adrienne Pearce (the BAFTA-winning Troy and the Emmy-winning The Triangle); child star, Naledi Award winner and Fleur du Cap nominee Kitty Harris (Matilda the Musical); and rising star Brent Vermeulen (Die Stropers, Griekwastad) co-star.
Glasshouse is the first film in a three-part post-apocalyptic slate being developed by Showmax with Local Motion Pictures, in association with Crave Pictures, with Kelsey Egan directing and sharing story credits with associate producer Emma Lungiswa de Wet.
Greig Buckle, co-producer of the Oscar-shortlisted Life, Above All and line producer of the #1 US box office hit Chronicle, is the producer.
Awakening in a strange world
Mr Johnson, starring the legendary Paul Slabolepszy, is another recent South African movie well worth the watch.
A 73-year-old man awakes from a 47 year coma to find that his life, and the world, has passed him by.
In what seems like a moment, he goes from being 26 and in love, to being aged and infirm and completely out of place.
He decides to track down his sweetheart – but first he has to learn to use the internet and to navigate the digital age.
Directed by William Collinson, the film also stars Jana Cilliers, Graham Hopkins and Sisanda Henna, among others.
The late, great Mary Twala lights up the screen
This one might not be quite South Africa – it was made in Lesotho – but it deserves every mention it can get.
Scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and 91% on Metacritic, it was number five on Metacritic’s international list of the best films of 2021.
Vulture called it “the first masterpiece of 2021… I recommend seeing it more than once: luckily, it’s so gorgeous and spellbinding that it invites repeat viewings.”
Writer-director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese is a self-taught filmmaker whose drive and inspiration powers this inventive, original and layered drama.
Mantoa is an 80 year-old widow who is ready to die – until she realises that her community needs her one last time as they fight a potentially devastating dam development.
More great SA entertainment
Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa stars in the Sesotho romcom A Safe Bet; Kwanele Mthethwa stars a female stick-fighter in the isiZulu drama Induku; Bohlokwa Mpiti stars as a blind outcast with a rare gift in the isiZulu drama Umnisamvula; Mpho Sebeng stars in the Sesotho crime drama Tshepo; and Sthandile Nkosi stars as a con artist in Love Heist.
Looking for something completely different?
Sex in Afrikaans is the latest Showmax Original docuseries and it’s a groundbreaking look at what your neighbours, friends and colleagues just might be getting up to behind closed doors.
News24 gave it five stars and called it “brave”, while the Citizen called it “delicious”.
Binge it all now, if you dare!
Stream all these and more local and African gems on Showmax.
Loading ...