How much pain and suffering can a 12-year-old girl endure? In “Life, Above All,” set in a dusty South African village, the answer is a lot.
The movie opens with the sad-eyed girl, Chanda, making arrangements for the funeral of her infant sister, a victim of influenza.
In addition, her mother has AIDS; her stepfather, a boozer with AIDS, has disappeared; her best friend sells her body to truckers; and Chanda’s two younger siblings face an uncertain future.
Adding to the girl’s woes is the superstition that makes AIDS victims outcasts in their own village. The religious locals can’t even bring themselves to utter the word, which they consider “the work of the devil.”
Directed by Oliver Schmitz from the novel “Chanda’s Secrets” (which would have made for a more descriptive screen title), “Life, Above All” is a downer that too often resorts to melodrama.
But it has inspiring moments, and features a stunning performance by first-timer Khomotso Manyaka as the brave Chanda.