Just after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee. Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth. LIFE, ABOVE ALL is an emotional and universal drama about a young girl (stunningly performed by first-time-actress Khomotso Manyaka) who fights the fear and shame that have poisoned her community. The film captures the enduring strength of loyalty and a courage powered by the heart. Directed by South African filmmaker Oliver Schmitz (Mapantsula; Paris, je t-aime), it is based on the international award winning novel Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton.
Reviews from Rotten Tomatoes
Does something that few painful dramas accomplish: It tells a tale of resilience without platitudes about the triumph of the human spirit or without false promises about an unclouded future.Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 07.14.2011
Manyaka gives the character a gaze so true it could only open hearts and minds.Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times, 07.22.2011
Nicely splits the difference between ethnographic realism and melodramatic uplift.Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com, 07.17.2011
The script groans beneath a mass of symbolic winking and declamatory exposition that has the unfortunate effect of turning the villagers into credulous simpletons, ready to blow with any wind that carries them.Ella Taylor, NPR, 07.15.2011