Get the latest gossip
Venice Horizons Drama ’Carissa’ Probes Traditional Way of Life in Rural South Africa
Venice Horizons drama ‘Carissa’ probes traditional way of life in rural South Africa and asks questions that can’t be answered.
A traditional way of life in the rural hinterlands of South Africa is put to the test when an upscale development arrives on the region’s doorstep in “Carissa,” the feature debut of writing-directing duo Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, which premieres Sept. 5 in the Horizons strand of the Venice Film Festival. But for the film’s titular heroine, played by Gretchen Ramsden, the arrival of Mont Royale presents an impossible choice: Should she head to the city for a chance at a “better” life, or should she stay in the small town of Wupperthal and take over her grandfather’s rooibos farm, which is itself at risk of being wiped off the map once the developers break ground? On its surface, “Carissa” presents what in other hands could have been a simple morality tale of right vs. wrong: the rapacious capitalists devouring everything in their path, including the innocent villagers clinging to an outdated way of life.
Or read this on Variety
