Wild Is the Wind

Comes out of nowhere this South African drama with great actors which are not very well known in the US. Filmed in the traditional South African dialect, English viewers will need closed captions to understand the dialogues.

The engrossing crime drama is about searching for the responsible person(s) for the rape and murder of an18 years old white girl in a town, woven with racial distrust, inequality, injustice, and corruption.

The film starts with two police officers stopping a car for speeding. Unbeknownst to the police, the driver has a ducked-up woman in the trunk. They accept a cash bribe instead of searching the car. They later learn that a woman was burnt to death in the same car. This event changes the officer's played Mothusi Mogano's life. He occasionally sees her, directing him toward the clues.

It is solid entertainment and a great performance. A Must watch!

A flawed protagonist needs to face the consequences of his choices to do what is right, the classic premise of a possibly good story. The premise of Wild is the Wind.

Vusi wants to move up in life, he wants to provide his family with better conditions, accepting any path to reach his goal. His desire. We know that Vusi needs to learn.

Follows law enforcement partners Vusi Matsoso and John Smit, senior investigators trying to make a living through active corruption. Their personal problems lead them to work together to improve their financial situation.

The cinematography is good in several moments. Wild is the Wind is a strong story, and the cinematographer tries to show that.

But nothing is perfect. The antagonist's lack of development makes his journey insignificant, inexplicable. So inexplicable that, in the end, the feeling is that we have lost some scene, some point in history that gives meaning to the things the antagonist and Vusy said, to the events. This lack of development also makes the antagonist disconnected from the main events, almost secondary. A pity, because the antagonist seems to be convincing.

Wild is the Wind is an engaging, slow drama that captivates with its premise and theme. With minimal flaws, this film is recommended if you want a compelling story about racism, injustice and redemption.

From here on out, I'll discuss important scenes that reveal about the film. Spoilers! Be warned.

The ending is dissonant, almost exploitative. An unnecessary ending, created just to make it bitter, to say "look how tense and strong this movie is, how heavy this movie is".

Vusi dies. Vusi had everything to be able to get back on top, redeem himself, but he dies, without reason, without purpose, without a clue. Even his wife says that she waits for him, but that he needs to be ready. Vusi's bow could redeem him, but his redemption cost his life with no use for his sacrifice. The ending could be different, more alive, Vusi accepting who she is, fighting but in a fair way.

I needed to release this outcome from within myself.

On 2/01/2024 we visited wild wind as day visitors. We were a group of more or less 25 people. Our dissatisfaction started at the gate. We had 5 children ranginging between 2 and 5 years old. They all paid different prices ranging from R45 to R95. We were shocked about this. The ladies at the gate were showing bad attitude towards us. It also seemed as if they had a hectic night before. The pools on that day were green and when I questioned them about 8t I was told it is because of the day before which was a very 0oor excuse. I will never ever go to this place again 9r even recommend it to other people Sorry wild wind.

As this South African film opens we see police officer Vusi Matsoso accepting a bribe from a speeding motorist. Afterwards he splits the money with his partner, John Smit. As the driver pulls away we see he has a young woman trussed up in the boot of his car. Three years later Matsoso and Smit are more corrupt; they raid a drug den, killing the criminals and taking their drugs to sell to local criminals. Meanwhile there is the murder of another young woman, this time she is an Afrikaner. Racial tensions flare when suspicions fall on her black boyfriend. The events that follow will test Matsoso and Smit's friendship; will they do the right thing or take the easy options?

I thought this was a really solid crime drama. It started really well. We know from the opening scene that our protagonists are corrupt, the only question is whether their corruption is taking bribes for minor offences and robbing drug dealers or whether they will be willing to ruin innocent lives for their own benefit. The story deals with the racial tensions that are inevitably still present in South Africa without feeling as if it is a lecture. The main strength of the film is its acting and direction. Mothusi Magano and Frank Rautenbach really impress as Matsoso and Smit and even those in secondary roles are good. Fabian Medea does a great job directing. The South African landscape adds a lot to the atmosphere of the film; the rugged veldt gives the film the feel of a western at times. While the identity of the man who killed the Afrikaner girl is unlikely to surprise anybody there are a few other moments that do come as a surprise, one time tragically so. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of crime drama looking for something set outside North America or Europe. It would be nice to see more great drama coming out of Africa.

It must be noted that although Netflix suggests this is an English language film most of the dialogue is in subtitled Afrikaans; I didn't find that to be a problem but others might want to be aware before watching.

The action scenes are stealthy, but the anticipation slowly fades into the background as the script gets a bit dense in highlighting other social issues. The racially fuelled opening fades into the background as the script explores other dire needs of the community who have fallen into poverty and are desperate to get themselves out of it. Medea wants to highlight the endless cycle that occurs in the area and how corruption is perceived. It is more so character-driven, as the police officers are polar opposites of one another. One is more level-headed, and the other is a hothead with a short fuse, which ends up being quite problematic.

*didn't show too much racial tension as opposed to other problems.