This past weekend was the opening of the movie Material, starring comedian Riaad Moosa, and set in Fordsburg, Johannesburg. It follows the story of a young Muslim man, Cassim who works in his father’s material shop , but has aspirations of being a comedian. It explores the dynamics of a Muslim family and the community they live in, and also the emotional dynamics between a family.

Let me start by saying I LOVED this movie! Aside from the fact that it’s South African, and set in an area I’m familiar with, it is such a heartwarming story-and hilarious to boot! Set aside any disdain you might have for local films, it has no place in this flick!

An interesting aspect of the movie is the relationship between Cassim and his father, and the one which the father has with his family. I saw it as a spot on portrayal of men of that generation, across all races.  Accustomed to being heads of the family units but lacking emotional maturity, they make all sorts of rash decisons that end up having consequences for other members of their families; ones which are not always pleasant.

I also found it interesting on a personal level to see the intricasies of Muslim traditions and practices that I had previously not been familiar with; and to be shown yet again that as different as our cultural practices are, the way we relate to each other is exactly the same! Let me not get carried away and turn this into an intellectual analysis, just go and watch what I think is one of the best local films to hit our screens-ever! If the opening weekend attendance was anything to go by, I’m not the only person who feels this way. It is showing at Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro cinemas across the country-go see it and tell us what you think!