Rough Aunties

The “Rough Aunties” are founders of and counselors at Operation Bobbi Bear, a nonprofit organization that advocates for sexually abused children in a primarily Zulu community near Durban, South Africa. Filmmaker Kim Longinotto follows five women who interview beaten or raped youngsters, collect and translate witness statements from victims and family members, and accompany police on nighttime raids to identify perpetrators (the Aunties also talk about how they came to work for the agency and their own sometimes difficult family relationships). When the young son of a Bobbi Bear counselor drowns, Longinotto captures the funeral and the Aunties' efforts to offer comfort and support. While the Aunties' dedication and determination to unite local women in the effort to protect children is inspiring, the film fails to provide sufficient contextual background for the unfamiliar South African culture, and the extended funeral footage seems like a digression from the focus on Bobbi Bear. Rough Aunties does end on an uplifting note, however, as one of the Aunties adopts a young girl who had lived with an abusive uncle. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)