This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is a spiritual experience. It pulls you out from your surroundings and traps you within the world unfolding on the screen. Mantoa is an 80 year-old widow who, after just losing her only child in a mining accident, begins to prepare for her own funeral. Unfortunately, plans to relocate her village and construct a dam begin to take shape, but this soon reinvigorates her desire to live on by rebelling against the system determined to see their plans through.
Tension boils beneath the surface as Mantoa goes from a grieving mother to a vengeful and furious woman wanting to protect the sanctity of her village and community against those who look to do them harm. Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese is a truly astonishing filmmaker, with a unique eye and ear for his native land and the characters occupying it. Every scene has a poetic, fantastical feel to it, with it all culminating into a fable of a woman fighting for her home and her right to be buried with her loved ones. His visual and thematic style reminds me of Portuguese auteur Pedro Costa, creating a truly hypnotic marriage of imagery and sound. The use of music, sound design, shot angles and sparse cutting creates a specific atmosphere that is drenched in dread, much like the grief and angst that Mantoa constantly carries within her.
The score, in particular, is a standout for me. Japanese composer Yu Miyashita, who also goes under the name Yaporigami (great IDM in the same vein as Aphex Twin) creates a twisted, unsettling and terrifying sound collage that is unlike anything else I’ve heard over the past year in film and is a likely candidate for my favourite score of 2020. It perfectly embodies the tense undercurrent surging within Mantoa, adding a specific flavour to the film that truly differentiates itself from anything else you will see over the past year.
This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection won a special jury prize at Sundance, and its consistent inclusion on many critics’ end of year lists is well earned. African filmmaking continues to evolve and grow at an exceptional rate, and with filmmakers like Mosese at the forefront, people should be very excited about where it is going next. Bold, brave and exceptionally beautiful filmmaking, don’t miss the opportunity to experience a truly lush visual and aural experience.
You can now stream This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection on Mubi UK.