François V erster
52 minutes
WHEN THE WAR IS OVER deals with the after-effects of the South African struggle against Apartheid, as experienced by two survivors from the Bonteheuwel Military Wing (BMW), a militant teenage self-defence unit from the mid-1980s. Gori, now an army captain in the new South African army, still can't come to terms with life after Apartheid, not least with the prospect of married life. Once a 'terrorist,' he now works for the government; it is only in the extreme violence of fighting gangsterism, drug dealing and other criminal activities that he feels at home. Marlon - one of Gori's original friends and comrades - is now, like most of the ex-activists, a gang member. His world is one of drugs, gang violence and murder - one in which, as he says, "heads have to burst open." Yet Marlon's political vision has despite everything remained intact, and he is now eager to abandon a life of crime. While Marlon helps to initiate peace talks between warring groups his sister is murdered by a rival gang. Yet amongst gangsters, drug addicts and down-and-outs, there is still the flame of hope for the future. WHEN THE WAR IS OVER is gritty yet beautiful, visually innovative yet hard-hittingly realistic.
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