The movie starts out slowly, seeming to be a documentary. Don't be put off, just keep watching. I promise you will enjoy this!
A young woman in South Africa, tired of the big city rat race, arrives at a remote village to teach. She encounters a shy bumbler of a young scientist who is studying the local animals and tries his best to make her feel welcome.
At the same time, a Bushman has decided that the Coca-Cola bottle that fell from the sky is not really a blessing. He is going to go to the edge of the earth to return it to the gods, who must be crazy, since they sent only one bottle, and for the first time there is jealousy and dissension in the tribe. He encounters modern civilization for the first time.
A big hit when first released, it played in the theaters for almost three years, and was for a long time the highest grossing foreign film ever released in the US. Some of the production values are primitive and there are some jerky editing moments, but somehow those just add to the fun.
There were many conflicting and maybe fictional stories about the lead actor who is a real Bushman. My favorite is the story that when N!xau was paid in money, he just let it fly away since he didn't understand what money was good for. The producers felt bad and asked him what he might want instead. He answered, "I've heard that a cow is a good animal." It was easy enough for the producers to give him four cows. A few weeks later, someone asked him how the cows were. He grinned and said, "Very easy hunting!"
If you enjoy slapstick, jungle animals, silly romances, and learning about other cultures, this is the movie for you!
DIRECTOR: Jamie Uys. CAST: Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, N!xau, Louw Verwey, Michael Thys.
AWARDS: 2 wins and 1 nomination.
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