Sarafina is a musical telling the events of Apartheid from the perspective of young South African girl. As far as movie musicals go this was missing a lot of the charm and spectacle that we come to expect, but turning this difficult subject into a musical was a bold choice that paid off in other ways. While I don’t think the songs captured the effect I’m looking for in a musical it did feel very authentic to the region and the subject matter which I did appreciate. I think the main reason I couldn’t attach to them was how basic and repetitive the lyrics are. But what did work about Sarafina was the raw emotion and tragic coming of age. The way the music becomes more scarce as the film goes on to symbolize the loss of innocence was a very interesting way to use the genre in a unique way. I don’t think this is a film I could see myself revisiting, but I do appreciate this take on the musical genre and the sheer power in its ending.
Sarafina is a musical telling the events of Apartheid from the perspective of young South African girl. As far as movie musicals go this was missing a lot of the charm and spectacle that we come to expect, but turning this difficult subject into a musical was a bold choice that paid off in other ways. While I don’t think the songs captured the effect I’m looking for in a musical it did feel very authentic to the region and the subject matter which I did appreciate. I think the main reason I couldn’t attach to them was how basic and repetitive the lyrics are. But what did work about Sarafina was the raw emotion and tragic coming of age. The way the music becomes more scarce as the film goes on to symbolize the loss of innocence was a very interesting way to use the genre in a unique way. I don’t think this is a film I could see myself revisiting, but I do appreciate this take on the musical genre and the sheer power in its ending.
