IMPUNITY
DIRECTOR: Jyoti Mistry
CAST: Bjorn Steinbach, Alex McGregor, Desmond Dube, Vaneshran Arumugam
CLASSIFICATION: PG 16 LVSM
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes
RATING: **
Impunity talks to how people try to get away with murder. But while actions have consequences, sometimes politics have a huge bearing on situations, too.
Derren (Steinbach) and Echo (McGregor), a waitress, find themselves on the run after killing her boss, the owner of the bar she works at, after he tried to force himself on her.
At first, you empathise with them. They were forced into this situation due to circumstances beyond their control.
But this streak of brutality somehow becomes intoxicating to them. In between their sex-and-drugs induced relationship, they end up leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.
Meanwhile, Naveed Khan (Arumugam), a police detective, works with Special Crimes Unit Investigator Dingande Fakude (Dube) to track down the killer/s.
Impunity is a hard-hitting tale. The sex, violence and nudity are in your face. But it does feel a bit drawn out at times. Some of the scenes feel disjointed – an editing oversight, perhaps. Although engaging, it hasn’t risen above similar offerings to have come out of the South African stable. Impunity is a disturbing tale, but it is also germane and tragic, at the same time.
If you liked Tsotsi and Jerusalema, you will enjoy this.
MOST headlines or breaking news stories touch on some violent tragedy. While South Africa has cultivated an international reputation for being crime central, the world isn’t immune to violence either.
This was evident both in the violent outbreak between students belonging to the EFF and Sasco members at the Tshwane University of Technology campus as well as the tragic shooting of the WDBJ-TV journalists in Virginia, US.
We’ve become rather desensitised to crime waves due to our prolonged exposure to them.
That’s where Jyoti Mistry homes in – she uses a Bonnie-and-Clyde-like couple’s killing spree as a vehicle to expose the rampant violence and, in a way, the decay of morality.
As the title suggests, Impunity talks to how people try to get away with murder. But while actions have consequences, sometimes politics have a huge bearing on situations, too.
Derren (Steinbach) and Echo (McGregor), a waitress, find themselves on the run after killing her boss, the owner of the bar she works at, after he tried to force himself on her.
At first, you really empathise with them. They were forced into this situation due to circumstances that were beyond their control.
But this streak of brutality somehow becomes intoxicating to them. In between their tumultuous sex-and-drugs induced relationship, they end up leaving a trail of bodies in their wake, such as Derren’s two best friends, a husband and wife with whom he shared a very weird sexual relationship, as well as the daughter of a prominent politician that he ends up having a quick roll in the hay with.
Meanwhile, Naveed Khan (Arumugam), a local police detective, works with Special Crimes Unit Investigator Dingande Fakude (Dube) to track down the killer/s.
Although the narrative follows the merciless actions of this couple, it also examines their personal relationship which is fraught with jealousy and instability – but on Echo’s part.
Amid the main story arc, Mistry cunningly intertwines street posters of headlines on violent crimes to drive the theme home. She also offers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of how politics play a role in the criminal system with Dube’s character.
Impunity is a hard-hitting tale. The sex, violence and nudity (as in boob shots) are in your face. Her leads are compelling in their respective roles.
But it isn’t a film without flaws. It does feel a bit drawn out at times. Some of the scenes come across as disjointed – an editing oversight, perhaps. And the actors playing Derren’s old friends are embarrassingly wooden in their delivery, especially the husband.
While supportive of homegrown offerings, we are also competing with world cinema, so comparisons are bound to happen. Although engaging, the reality is that it hasn’t risen above the echelon of similar offerings to have come out of the South African stable.
Impunity is a disturbing tale, but it is also germane and tragic, at the same time.
If you liked Tsotsi and Jerusalema, you will enjoy this.