Director: Helena Nogueira
Genre: Documentary
Classification: 10
Running time: 110 min
Rating: ***
Ingrid Jonker became something of a Marilyn Monroe to Afrikaners, following her tragic suicide when she walked into the sea in Cape Town, leaving a young daughter and devastated circle of friends behind.
As is so often the case (witness Johannes Kerkorrel), artists are revered after their death rather than during their lives and Ingrid certainly felt as if she was living in a vacuum.
While her poetry has always bubbled under the surface of the Afrikaner skin and much has been written and said about this enigmatic poet, it was Nelson Mandela profiling her striking and startling poem, Die Kind, in his first State of the Nation address, that again raised her profile dramatically.
Writing in Afrikaans, hers was a niche market ,but at a time when the language was pushed at the cost of all others in the country. But what she was saying, especially at that time (and as a daughter of a politician who then turned his back on her), was not something white people wanted to hear about. This is what makes her writing so extraordinary.
Not only did she have an extraordinary way with words, but while others (women especially) were not even considering the issues of the day, she was writing about the horrific things happening in the country and it hit you in a place that splintered the heart.
It is also Ingrid's chaotic love life that has interested people in today's celebrity-driven world, as she was part of a high-profile group that included, among others, poet Jan Rabie, his wife, painter Marjorie Wallace, André P Brink, Uys Krige and many more. And in this documentary it is the honesty and hilarity of Marjorie Wallace talking about their dear friends, warts and all, that dominates and illuminates the film.
Perhaps for some who don't know much about the poet, this documentary might be fascinating, but it needs a ruthless edit to get rid of some of the repetitive footage. Why, for example, is every shot shown of the hospital where she received treatment exactly the same? It simply becomes monotonous and here was one place they could have shot different angles.
With someone like Ingrid, whose life has been covered from so many different angles, finding new footage is tough. There's only so much available, but to simply show pictures over and over again is not the solution. Nice touch to add the Chris Chameleon songs for a contemporary edge.
Documentaries have regained some dominance in the world with the shock tactics of a Michael Moore and the powerful profile of an Al Gore.
To have this one receive so much fervour from the local distributors is great, but for those who know Jonker intimately, it might be a letdown.
- Please note: This film will only be screened in Johannesburg.
If you liked Iris and Sylvia you should enjoy this.