Son of Man

The second film by writer-director Mark Dornford-May and his Cape Town theatrical troupe Dimpho Di Kopane, Son of Man follows the same pattern as their first, U-Carmen, which transferred Bizet's opera to a contemporary African setting. In this treatment of the Gospel's account of Jesus' life, some overtly religious elements are retained (little boys appear as angels and a Satanic figure mirrors the temptation of Christ in the desert), but overall the film secularizes the story much like Pier Paolo Pasolini's 1964 The Gospel According to St. Matthew. Although Jesus' birth is implicitly presented as miraculous, the Christ figure (Andile Kosi) here is a social activist leading a non-violent protest in Judea against an occupying force that ostensibly wishes to restore order after a civil war but actually means to dominate the country. When the traitors collaborating with the foreigners finally kill Jesus for being a dangerous rabble-rouser, they simply have him shot and buried, after which his mother (Pauline Malefane) exhumes the corpse and places it atop a pole to encourage further resistance. Sure to spark discussion, this somewhat uneven but vibrant film is recommended. (F. Swietek)