High Fantasy

High Fantasy, directed by South African filmmaker Jenna Bass, is a thought-provoking, uncensored exploration of complex social issues clothed in the simplicity of a body-swap comedy-drama. The movie cleverly delves into racial dynamics, gender politics, and identity in contemporary South Africa, giving a nod to ancient African traditions and mythology.

The film revolves around four young friends - Xoli, Thami, Tatiana, and Lexi, portrayed by Qondiswa James, Nala Khumalo, Liza Scholtz, and Francesca Varrie Michel, respectively. They set off on an innocent road trip into the Northern Cape wilderness. Cut off from civilization, these millennials capture their real-time experiences and candid dialogues on their phones, offering audiences a captivating, raw, and performative role in the narrative.

While in the wilderness, these friends awake one morning to find they have inexplicably swapped bodies. The body-swap trope, most commonly viewed as a comedic gimmick, is instead used ambitiously to interrogate embittered, deeply entrenched socio-political structures in South Africa. The personal becomes political, with the characters forced to traverse the world in bodies that belong to different gender, racial, and class backgrounds.

Each character’s predicament prompts a rumination on their individual identity struggles against the backdrop of South Africa’s still palpable post-apartheid society. Clashing views on race, class, and gender are brought to light, as the characters grapple with their new physical identities.

The four friends' journey culminate in intense scenes where they must confront and negotiate their anxieties, biases, and differences, providing audiences with a daring and insightful social commentary. The performances are sincere, with the actors articulating their characters' vulnerability and confusion convincingly. Moreover, the engaging performances of Qondiswa James, Nala Khumalo, and Francesca Varrie Michel, along with the recounted experiences of the characters, convey a palpable sense of displacement and discomfort.

In High Fantasy's raw and minimalistic format, it forefronts the art of storytelling over filmic sophistication. The movie is presented predominantly as found footage, with the characters filming themselves on their iPhones, bringing an intimate, personal touch to the narrative. This format allows for authenticity and connection, as the characters candidly share their personal narratives, thoughts, and vulnerabilities. Bass's decision to film in such a manner serves to point out the do-it-yourself aspect of filmmaking, presenting the film in the social-media-influenced style to which much of the younger audience can relate.

The setting plays a significant part in the narrative; the Northern Cape wilderness accentuates the sense of desolation and isolation of the characters, intensifying the conflict-laden plot. The seemingly endless expanses of sand and sky exemplify the vastness of the social challenges being explored.

High Fantasy also employs elements of magic realism and Afrofuturism, connecting it to ancient African folklore while showing the promise and pitfalls of future progress. Parallels are drawn between the magic that causes the body-swap and the mythology of the region, illustrating how ancestral traditions and contemporary life intersect and offering a larger commentary on South Africa’s cultural crossroads.

This film doesn't shy away from challenging topics and is unafraid of asking big, complicated questions, making it an intriguing, often unsettling, and robust portrayal of youthful unrest and discontent in contemporary South Africa. Despite its minimalist approach in terms of special effects or lavish sets, the movie is a powerhouse of substantial themes, compelling character dynamics, and social discourse.

High Fantasy is presented in a unique, original way that leaves the viewer contemplating long after the screen has gone dark. Its innovative storytelling techniques, sincere performances, and penetrating exploration of South Africa's socio-political climate undoubtedly mark it as a standout film of 2017.

In essence, High Fantasy is a film that seeks not to provide answers, but to stimulate discussion and introspection about identity, inequalities, and the complexities of post-apartheid South Africa. The magic at the center of the film serves only as a catalyst to delve into thoughts about self-actualization, inter-personal relationships, and the modern world viewed through the lens of the younger generation. It's a remarkable cinematic experience that successfully challenges conventional narratives and introduces audiences to a powerful and redefined form of South African cinema.