South Africa is a melting pot of stories waiting to be told. Award-winning local film “Margarine” is a fine example.
Written and directed by Thabo Khambule, “Margarine” is an uplifting film about healing, hope and redemption, set against the backdrop of broken families, abuse, alienation and endless cycles of violence.
It delves into township life and tells the story of 13-year-old Robert aka Mafashion.
Abandoned by his father and abused by his uncle he takes to the streets and is embraced by vagrants who teach him the ways of the streets.
He soon learns to handle guns and swindle money. His streetwise sense and savviness earns him the respect of his peers.
The once-innocent boy is now corrupted and his hunger for acquiring and selling guns consumes him.
The short-tempered, trigger happy youngster then terrorises his community until he meets a charming girl who motivates him to mend his ways.
Her love for him reveals a tenderness he has always harboured, despite believing that boys should always be tough and never shed a tear.
When a life-changing event takes place, Mafashion is forced to re-examine his life as he prepares to become a first-time father.
Khambule said “Margarine” was motivated by his experiences as a youngster growing up in a South African township in the ‘90s.
“Growing up in South Africa in the late ‘90s, I saw many young people being brutally killed for crimes they’d committed in the township. Vusi Mhlongo was one of those youngsters.
“Neglected and rejected by his father, he fell in love with guns and became a nightmare for his community. Filled with hate, anger, and hopelessness, he went on a robbing and shooting spree.
Khambule said Mhlongo blamed his behaviour on the abuse and abandonment he endured at the hands of his uncle and father.
“At some point, as a teenager, he wanted to kill his father, going so far as to point a loaded gun at him and threatening to shoot, but he never pulled the trigger.”
Khambule incorporated all these experiences and developed it into the on screen, award-winning masterpiece.
In the film, Mafashion’s brooding resentment leads him to finally face up to his father. With a gun pointed at his father’s head, he demands answers as to why his father rejected him.
When his father resists, Mafashion shoots him several times, leaving him in a pool of blood.
The story delves deep into issues of broken homes, absent fathers and how these circumstances can affect a boy child’s sense of self.
Further along it breaks the cycle of violence, starts a process of healing before finally finding redemption.
“What drove me was the compassion I felt for my main character (Mafashion). His childhood was stolen by an absent and uncaring father and he was violated and deeply abused by his ice-cold and heartless uncle,” Khambule said.
“The film shows how violence begets violence, creating an endless and vicious cycle of children becoming the same monsters who were terrorising them.”
“I also knew that to show him as a conflicted thug, who falls deeply and innocently in love with a schoolgirl, would not only humanise him, but help the viewers to see a sweet and loving side of him, making him more relatable.”
“Margarine” marks Khambule’s first feature film directorial debut which earned him two awards, Best International Film and Best Director at the 2022 “Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema” and a string of nominations at the at the “American Black Film Festival” in Miami last year.
Executive produced by himself, Carmel Khambule and Kabelo Thathe, “Margarine” stars Finito Bullets, Golden Horn awardee, Linda Sebezo, Mammy Manhique, “The Queen’s” Motsoaledi Setumo, Ngabade Mazibuko, Thumb Mkhoma and “DiepCity’s” Yolo Noruwana.
“Margarine” is now streaming on Prime Video.