Mma-Ramotswe movie enthralling

MAUREEN ODUBENG
Staff Writer | Tuesday April 15, 2008 00:00

 

Many had waited too long to see the movie, which was not only shot in Botswana, but also set in the country. Based on Alexander McCall Smith's novel, and beautifully directed by one of the world's most gifted directors, the late Anthony Minghella, the movie which premiered on Friday at the New Capitol Cinema, Riverwalk is nothing short of exquisite.

Filled with much humour, wit and intellect in solving complex cases by the main character, woman detective Precious Ramotswe (fondly referred to as Mma-Ramotswe), played wonderfully by American actress and R & B songbird Jill Scott, the movie grips one's attention from beginning to end.

Despite what one may call omissions, the movie seems to have received a warm welcome from those who attended the premiere, as laughter could be heard in the packed New Capitol Cinema show room. It is  a fact that the novel, of course, even the adaptation of the novel into a film is fiction, but a local watching the film cannot ignore the fact that it does, indeed, capture Botswana's beautiful landscape (including the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan) and, to some extent, its disappearing cultures.

The film starts with a scene showing Mma-Ramotswe's background, as a detective, as she solves a dispute over livestock theft, at a tender age. The story begins to unfold, with Mma-Ramotswe losing her beloved father, and that cannot go without due credit, as the staging of the funeral captures in graphic detail the traditional funeral of many local tribes.

The scene resembles a funeral to the point that one watching might actually mistake it for a real funeral, with women wearing veils, and shawls over their shoulders. The main character despite, not being a Motswana sang a song in Setswana so beautifully-with her accent almost undetectable.

That is not all. Returning from the cemetery, all those who attended the funeral wash their hands from a container placed at the entrance, something, which is widely practised by many tribes in Botswana. After her father's funeral, Mma-Ramotswe sells the livestock he had left her and relocates to the capital city, Gaborone, to pursue her dream of being the country's first woman detective.

While she starts on a low key, she finally gets her feet on the ground, and solves quite a number of cases, including a case of child abduction, a husband's infidelity, an impostor daddy, and insurance fraud. She sets up her detective office at the foot of the Kgale Hill, a small complex which hosts other businesses, including a salon, whose gay owner, befriends and gives Mma Ramotswe support, played by South African actor, Desmond Dube.

While much of the film obviously concentrates on the lead character, there are other characters that make the movie worth watching.

One of them is yet another American actor Anika Noni Rose, who plays Mma-Ramotswe's secretary, Grace Makutsi. Grace is not your usual secretary as she also is upbeat about her job and wants to do it as satisfactorily as her boss does. One of the touching moments in the film about Mma-Ramotswe and her secretary is the moment when she (Grace) tells her boss that she would not be expecting any payment that month as they did not make any profit.

Another character deserving mentioning, is London dramatist Lucian Msamati, who plays JLB Matekoni, a garage owner who after fixing Mma-Ramotswe's car becomes her confidant.  Rre Matekoni is yet another one who will definitely keep everyone thoroughly entertained as he fumbles as he tries to express his love to Mma-Ramotswe.

As the movie progresses, the viewer gets to see more and more interesting scenes, with one woman walking into the agency to enlist the services of Mma-Ramotswe in catching her husband whom she suspects of cheating on her. Nikki Amuka Bird, who plays the  character of Alice Busang, the woman being double-crossed by the husband, walks into the agency and relates her story and suspicions.

Mma Ramotswe decides to take the case up, and with a little help from her darling friend Rre Matekoni, she ends up going to a local bar to check if she can find any leads into the case.  To Mma Ramotswe's surprise, she is accosted by the very obnoxious Kremlin Busang, who proposes love to her. The detective plays along, thinking it would be the best proof for Alice, but Alice turns around and calls her a man-stealer.

The movie is nonetheless a marvel to watch and features a number of locals, including former Health Minister Sheila Tlou, as a mourner at the funeral, MultiChoice public relations executive Tshepo Maphanyane, as a waitress, and Shombie Ellis, who has appeared in a local Broadway production by Stuart White, just to mention a few.

The movie of course gives a positive notion that being big or a little on the fat side is not a bad thing especially if one accepts themselves. Mma-Ramotswe is often met with comments that she is fat, but gently corrects the people, just saying she is 'traditionally built'

While this may be one of the few movies to come out of Africa that shows that indeed the continent can have something good in it, there is a scene that shows Mma-Ramotswe investigating a ritual murder based case.

This somewhat can fuel stereotypes held by the international community about Africa and ritual murders commonly referred to as muti.