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Absurdist American writer-director Harmony Korine recently debuted his latest work, a short film named for the Zulu struggle song made famous by South African president Jacob Zuma, Umshini Wam (Bring me my machine gun), at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas.
The 16-minute film features Die Antwoord oddballs Ninja and Yo-Landi as a pair of suburban gangsters who roll around in wheelchairs, smoke cartoonishly large spliffs and freestyle rap songs ("I’m old enough to bleed, I’m old enough to breed, I’m old enough to crack a brick in your teeth while you sleep") while aimlessly roaming the desolate streets and backwoods of a nameless town. The place is possibly meant to stand in for a nondescript South African town, but the short seems to have been shot in the US, if the surrounding vegetation and parked cars are anything to go by.
Ninja and Yo-Landi also carry heavy machine guns and fancy themselves as the zef Bonnie and Clyde, laying waste to business people who stand in their way. Some moments of the film feel like a protracted music video (the 'beats' are supplied by Die Antwoord's own DJ Hi-Tek) and the vivid, crisp colours of the film are certainly in line with the visual style the group employs for their own infamous music videos.
The overall weirdness of the film is offset near the end in a touching scene as the vagrant misfits get ready to spend the night on a pavement. Yo-Landi may not have wanted the lead in David Fincher's version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but she now seems destined for an acting career.
But let's not get into too much detail about Umshini Wam. You'll want to see it for yourself.
Watch Umshini Wam here. And, like with all things Die Antwoord, it contains very strong language.
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts.
The 16-minute film features Die Antwoord oddballs Ninja and Yo-Landi as a pair of suburban gangsters who roll around in wheelchairs, smoke cartoonishly large spliffs and freestyle rap songs ("I’m old enough to bleed, I’m old enough to breed, I’m old enough to crack a brick in your teeth while you sleep") while aimlessly roaming the desolate streets and backwoods of a nameless town. The place is possibly meant to stand in for a nondescript South African town, but the short seems to have been shot in the US, if the surrounding vegetation and parked cars are anything to go by.
Ninja and Yo-Landi also carry heavy machine guns and fancy themselves as the zef Bonnie and Clyde, laying waste to business people who stand in their way. Some moments of the film feel like a protracted music video (the 'beats' are supplied by Die Antwoord's own DJ Hi-Tek) and the vivid, crisp colours of the film are certainly in line with the visual style the group employs for their own infamous music videos.
The overall weirdness of the film is offset near the end in a touching scene as the vagrant misfits get ready to spend the night on a pavement. Yo-Landi may not have wanted the lead in David Fincher's version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but she now seems destined for an acting career.
But let's not get into too much detail about Umshini Wam. You'll want to see it for yourself.
Watch Umshini Wam here. And, like with all things Die Antwoord, it contains very strong language.
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts.
