Neria (1991)

A Masterpiece!

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This is by far, one of my favorite movies. I have watched this movie dozens of times. You feel the characters, and you can relate to their circumstances.I thought the characters were talented African Actors, and I wish there was more information about the actors themselves. I love Neria's character, and her friend Connie. I truly love them both. Connie's Character as a loyal and kind friend, the perfect friend that we would all like to have. It was easy falling in love with the characters, and disliking some of them, as well. The only thing about the movie that was off-centered for me, was Ambuya's character. At the beginning she was hateful, and disliked her daughter-in-law Neria, but further into the movie, she supports her, with much kindness and understanding. It was as if she were two different characters.This is not a movie everyone will like, this is a special movie, and only certain people will appreciate it. It is not meant to be just entertaining, it is meant to be more informative. I love the music (Tuku), the scenery, and the communal lands. I have traveled to Africa many times, but never to Zimbabwe. It would have been awesome to have traveled there during the time this movie was filmed.Indeed, a very special movie.

I saw this film twice while I was in South Africa and Lesotho. My friend, a single african mother, told me that it would give me an understanding of what her life is like, which I found to be very true. The film Neria deals with the difficulties faced by African women when they loose a husband. Addressing the difficulty involved with the social norms of African life, it also provides the shimmering Saturday morning work spirit of the african farm with full emotion and feeling. Neria, an African woman living in Zimbabwe looses her husband which causes more trouble than sympathy in her immediate community. Throughout the movie we see the trials she faces as a woman when she struggles to keep her farm, and the essential elements of her former life. Although not much, threre is some inter-racial interaction in the movie however, its main focus is on on rural african farm life, and the emotion behind the life of women in sub-saharan africa. The soundtrack by oliver,(tuku) Mtukudzi adds immensely to the feel of the movie especially as the title track, "Neria" is played in an african shibing, (bar), I was very impressed and deeply moved by this movie. I would like to own a copy.