This is why it is was so exciting to see the Labia on Orange burst out of its seams last night with the premier of Sweetheart, the beautifully crafted new cinematic offering from the Be Phat Motel film company. Animated creatives and industry representatives rubbed shoulders with greenhorns and movie buffs as the crowd jostled its way into the unique movie house that astounded, as always, with its singular character of tattered nonchalance and old-school glamour. Popcorned and beveraged, there was a palpable sense of anticipation as we waited for the proverbial curtain to lift.
Happily, the build-up was for not for naught. The storyline ran with a well-maintained tension that grips without causing palpitations, the premise was well established and supported, the set design- and dressing superb. But the cinematography stole the show. Detail shots merged seamlessly with panning panoramics, bringing to life the big picture with just the right amount of spellbinding minutiae. Overall, the film was to the Brash American Blockbuster as handmade petit fours is to a Mars bar - a work of gentle precision treated with a dab hand and presented to the audience with well-deserved pride.
The storyline is of the type that you cannot discuss in specific term without giving away too much, so I'll refrain from doing so. Just go watch it - it'll make you proud to be living in South Africa right now. There is so much talent bubbling beneath our staunch surface it makes me sort of giddy. Let's hope the boys get their foot in the international door. Their success would be richly deserved.
Sweetheart Full Trailer from Be Phat Motel on Vimeo.
