Kagiso weighed in on where his responsibility lay in the project.

“I guess as a producer we’re an enabler,” he noted. “There’s always the thing of authentic storytelling and quality cinema, and we always try to do these types of movies that will stand the test of time.

“We’ve done movies before and stuff where it took like 18 months of our time, and was it really worth it? And, you know, cinema being quite a difficult place, even to make money, the decision is always to make something that is going to stand the test of time.

“Obviously, it is Karabo’s voice and our part there is always to create a kind of creative space where she can pour out and finesse the story. You always need somebody to kind of bounce the ideas off back and forth.

“It is quite a hectic journey, it costs a lot of money to make a movie and, at any given time, you say, ‘Did I just waste this money on a self-indulgent type of thing?’

“And our part was to say no. This is worth telling, go for it. At any given time, we can say that doesn’t make sense, perhaps you want to add this, perhaps you want to show more of that. That was the extent of it.

"Obviously, behind the scenes, the financing and packaging and so forth, continues as we go into cinemas and post that.”

There is so much relatability in how Karabo unpacks the story, especially in using body language and nuances as powerful storytelling techniques.

Karobo nodded in agreement and added, “ I'm always so keen, almost in an addictive way, to kind of capture life in a subtle, nuanced way. And there's a quietness as well in life … So a lot of my work was asking performers to kind of be a little bit more cerebral about the text.

“I wanted a progression of emotions, which was important, because it had to be an emotional journey and an arc.”

Set within a tight-knit community where everyone is privy to each other's lives, the film explores the distinctive connections formed within such an environment. The script incorporates themes of alcohol abuse, casual sexual encounters, and the pressures of hustle culture.

“Sabbatical” doesn’t fall into the trappings of commercial cinema. Instead, it’s a thought-provoking tale of the role a mother plays in your life and how your roots become your moral compass in a world that can be fickle and unforgiving.