The cut-throat hyper-capitalist nature of the world we live in has led to an identity crisis for some men. The inability to fulfil their patriarchal duties due to various socioeconomic factors and imbalances have left many of them shirking their responsibilities and obligations to their loved ones and communities.
Meja Shoba’s latest short film project “Keba, Interrupted”, highlights one such struggle.
In the film, we are introduced to Keba (Tshepiso Jeme) as he goes about his job doing menial labour. Following an unfortunate confrontation with a client with a problematic client, he loses his job. Then his mother dies.
This slow but necessary unravelling of the unsustainable life Keba is living serves as the driving force of the film’s character-based narrative.
The film is an empathetic look at the life of its central character.
His situation is framed by the filmmaker without any judgment or prejudice but instead chooses to present the totality of his personal circumstance while highlighting his battle with his conscience to rise to the occasion and do the right thing.
The short film that clocks in at a modest 15 minutes, does not rigorously adhere to conventional three-act struggle, choosing to instead play out like a “slice of life” examination of its main character at a particularly pivotal time in his life for which he is totally unprepared and did not see coming considering his own myopic view of the world and his place in it.
The lack of rigorous structure provides for what feels like an extremely authentic and intimate portrayal of male disenfranchisement in contemporary society while leaving subtle hints of a way out for the story’s protagonist if only he could see that they are hiding in plain sight.
Technically, the film also boasts strong and clear direction, and cinematographer Moeng does a commendable job creating the film’s visual structure with the camera working as a non-intrusive observer in Keba’s world.
The wide shots that dominate the majority of the exterior scenes are also vital in balancing out the cramped confines of the interiors where most of the dialogue takes place.
“What does it look like to show life as it is lived on screen? That is the overarching challenge of this film: showing life as it is lived in the real world - without conclusion, loose ends, lessons unlearned, without narrative closure”, said writer and director, Meja Shoba.
Her approach is sure to make this film a breath of fresh air in a period where story-telling around social issues around gender and class tend to be extremely didactic and to certain sections of society, condescending.
The film’s loose narrative will however leave those with a clear preference for plot-driven narratives a little underwhelmed.
In a world where men seem lost and not interested in forming real relationships with those around them, this film interrogates what it really means to be a man who positively contributes to his community even in the face of the most difficult of social circumstances.
On that basis, it is one of the must-watch film’s at this year’s Durban International Film Festival.