The cape flats were, undoubtedly, one of the sections of the Mother City that was left off the tour during the world cup. “Mario and the Rude Boys” is a powerful film that draws on the context of the 2010 Fifa world cup, exposing the stark contrast between the Cape Town that tourists see, and the one that is hidden away from them. It is a devastating account of life on the cape flats. This 52 minute documentary tells the tragic stories of five young men who battle with the legacy of hopelessness that has spread throughout their community.
Enter Mario van Niekerk; with nothing but the power of positive thinking and a dream, he reaches out to these men and others like them, showing them that gangs and drugs are not the answers to their problems. Directors, Michael Bardsley and Ayla Hilli, do not sugar-coat the hardships endured by Mario and his community. Instead, they force feed the reality to us using the compelling narrative in conjunction with a raw soundtrack and shocking imagery of youths taking drugs. The cumulative effect is incredible; we become so engrossed in the lives of the subjects of the film that we cannot help but feel their desperation. But surely it is in the darkness that light shines the brightest; shots of young people playing around with a soccer ball, and Mario’s many success stories give us an optimistic feeling that perhaps these young men can turn their lives around.
This film has the hardness of “Ross Kemp on Gangs” and yet it is as emotional as an episode of Oprah. Although “Mario and the Rude Boys” cannot be faulted for its candidness, it cannot be praised for its originality either. The subject matter, while gut-wrenching, is nothing new to the South African audience. This should not stop anyone from watching the documentary, however. It is definitely a must-see for every resident of Cape Town. Chalk up another winner from the Encounters Film Festival.
by- Keelan Joshua
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