WHEN THE WAR IS OVER
South Africa 2002 – Director: François Verster – Original language: englisch und afrikanisch – Subtitles: English – Length: 52 min.
'Killing an enemy is nothing here. I would just do it, go home and sleep peacefully. Really, there's nothing unusual about killing in Bonteheuvel. There is even a new trend: only a shot in the head, is a good murder. This is where the expression 'burst his cap' comes from.'
Bonteheuvel is located close to Cape Town. In the eighties, Bonteheuvel was notorious for its violent riots in the struggle against apartheid. The young people united themselves in the Bonteheuvel Military Wing, a guerrilla branch of the ANC. Two of these former BMWers are alternately followed in their daily lives in this documentary. Gori has become an army captain, Marlon a gang member. Like all other comrades, both are having problems finding their niche in life. The battle is won, but what now? The presence of the camera does not seem to affect anyone; not during the gang members' deliberations, not when illegal shebeens are rounded up or when a woman says she is glad that her eldest brother was 'at least just run over by a bus'. With his unadorned style, filmmaker François Verster presents an apt depiction of the hopeless life in Bonteheuvel.
Writer: n/a. Camera: Richard Kruger, François Verster, Brian Wengrofsky. Sound: n/a. Editing: Per K. Kirkegaard, George Alexander van Dam, Steen Schapiro. Music: Peter Coyte, Grant McLaughlin. Production: n/a. Producer: François Verster. International Sales: First Hand Films. Distribution: First Hand Films

