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Printer-Friendly ModeCatch a Fire offers thoughtful take on life in South Africa
November 6, 2006 —
Catch a Fire is a drama based on events that transpired in South Africa during the latter stages of apartheid. Despite losing focus for much of the middle area of the film, it paints a portrait of a man who rose out of obscurity to become a well-known freedom fighter, while also providing a moving portrayal of the country.
The movie opens with a monologue by Patrick Chamusso, a South African native whom the narrative follows for the majority of its length.
In it, he describes some of the poor conditions of where he lives. Particularly effective here is his description of his job at the massive Secunda oil refinery, during which he explains how he worked with his head down so that he could retain his job and provide for his family. The scene does a good job setting the audience up for the reversal Patrick undergoes later in the film.
The opening sections of the film are great; they immerse the audience in the South African culture as well as Patrick's life as a worker, soccer coach, and family man.
The earlier parts of the film reminded me of some of the happier moments in the movie City of God.
Patrick does have a secret, though - one that causes him to be away at the wrong time one night when the refinery is bombed by freedom fighters. He is now a suspect and is subsequently arrested and tortured by members of the Police Security Branch, which the film personifies as the character of Nic Vos (Tim Robbins).
Critics are making much as to whether or not Nic Vos is a sympathetic character or a monster.
It seems to me that at heart, he is somewhat relatable to a cruel version of the Patrick of the first half of the movie, as he will do anything to provide for his family. The scene where he takes the imprisoned Patrick to his house to dine with his family is not an attempt to humanize his character for the audience. Rather it is a shrewd tactic on the part of Vos himself, understanding that like him, Patrick's weakness is his family. He knows that exposing him once more to a view of family life will break him.
After Patrick decides to join the African National Congress, the movie features some fairly intense scenes of war violence, after which the movie emotionally flat-lines for a period of time.
Fortunately, the concluding scenes are very strong, and wrap things up nicely. What is particularly well-done here is the conscious shift to scenes that remind the audience that this is not entirely a work of fiction, and is in fact based on real events and a real person. The concluding moments again reminded me of City of God in that they pushed fiction to the side in a manner that thrusts the reality of what was portrayed forward. This sort of strategy really works when it is done properly, and that is certainly the case here.
There were only two other people in the theater when I viewed Catch a Fire. This is a movie that deserves an audience.