Life, Above All (2011)
Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 71
Fresh: 58 | Rotten: 13
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7/10
Critic Reviews: 23
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 4
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 1,045
My Rating
Movie Info
Just after the death of her newly-born sister, Chanda, 12 years old, learns of a rumor that spreads like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee. Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth. Life, Above All is an emotional and universal drama about a young girl (stunningly performed by first-time-actress Khomotso Manyaka) who
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Cast
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Khomotso Manyaka
Chanda -
Keaobaka Makanyane
Esther -
Harriet Manamela
Mrs. Tafa -
Lerato Mvelase
Lillian -
Tinah Mnumzana
Aunt Lizbet -
Aubrey Poolo
Jonah -
Mapaseka Mathebe
Iris -
Thato Kgaladi
Soly -
Lv Xiaolin
Dudu -
Rami Cuene
Aunty Ruth -
Jerry Marobyane
Mr. Pheto -
Thsepo Emmanuel Nonyane
Mr. Lesole -
Johanna Refilwe Sihlangu
Mrs. Lesole -
Vsui Muzi Given Nyathi
Mr. Nylo -
Patrick Shai
Dr. Chilume -
Nelson Motloung
Mr. Chauke -
Ernest Mokoena
Sipho Mandla -
Mary Twala
Mrs. Gulubane -
Themba Ndaba
Mr. Selalame -
Samuel Masilela
Young Man -
Charlotte Mphake
Hooker -
Bhekifa Isaac Nyathi
Ruth's Boyfriend -
Sarah Aphane
Receptionist -
Foxy Riet
Nurse Nkosi -
Solly Moeng
Police Officer -
Mongezi Motaung
Jacob -
Oupa Mashiloane
Fireman -
Xolile Gama
Mr. Kamwendo -
Martha Maphaka
Granny Thela -
Alain Morel
Hector -
Alphinah Matsepe
Patient -
Nomusa Tshanagana
Mrs. Pheto -
Gontse Masilela
Becca -
Malanane Mohlamonyane
Dudu's Male Friend -
Lungelo Mahlangu
Paulo -
Regina Makitla
Truck Stop Hooker #2 -
Wendy Makua
Passing Nosy Woman #1 -
Zanele Xekwa
Passing Nosy Woman #2 -
Carolie Nkosi
Nurse -
Selinah Madihlaba
Choir Member #1 -
Priscar Mashego
Choir Member #2
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Life, Above All Trailer & Photos
All Critics (71) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (58) | Rotten (13) | DVD (1)
A well-meaning but ploddingly earnest after-school special...
Top Critic"Life, Above All" earns the tears it inspires. The film is about deep human emotions, evoked with sympathy and love.
Perseverance is the theme of "Life, Above All," a drama that is deeply affecting, if also overwhelmingly bleak.
There is less in-your-face grit in Cape Town-born director Oliver Schmitz's vision for this film than there is a careful pacing of somber revelations.
This is a heartening story of resilience told without false uplift. It is hopeful without being mawkish, realistic but not oppressive.
"Life, Above All," a deeply moving South African drama about AIDS and ostracism, manages to be, paradoxically, both austere and uplifting.
A gripping African drama about a child who has to grow up too fast, who has to keep her family together and alive, and has come to terms with the AIDS stigma that her neighbors place on them.
Art with heart.
...there's an undeniable fierceness and intelligence in Manyaka's lead performance. She's far from a polished actor, but there's real steel there.
The location settings are more compelling than the filmmaking, but the subject matter and the effective presence of young Khomotso Manyaka perhaps make this worth seeking out for those who are sympathetic to its subject matter.
"Life, Above All" is an incredibly sad movie that never relies on sentimentality, and is as clear-eyed about the story as its forthright young heroine.
What makes it bearable but also beautiful and stirring is the central performance by the preteen, first-time actor Khomotso Manyaka.
An imperfect attempt at addressing the continued reluctance of sub-Saharan societies to address the HIV plague in their midst.
Life, Above All is 100 minutes of grief and courage. The film shows how South Africans failed to accept and deal with the reality of AIDS. It's a provocative and depressing plot.
Manyaka brings grace and empathy to everything Chanda does, eliciting sympathy and understanding in spite of the movie's own awkwardness.
There are a lot of tears in Life, Above All, and they're all earned.
... more drudgery than enlightenment.
Manyaka's performance is jaw dropping, entirely earning the neat little bow that the movie seems determined to put on top of her mission.
Story about a South African girl struggling against AIDS stigma feels too rational and distant.
In such a bleak story, the redemptive ending seems rushed and unconvincing, but director Oliver Schmitz has sent us a timely dispatch from a forgotten corner of the world that is honest above all.
There are so many things I like about Life, Above All that I'm willing to forgive its minor flaws...
Audience Reviews for Life, Above All
Super Reviewer
With an extended introduction that has a tenuous link to the rest of the story, "Life, Above All" is an earnest and compelling coming of age movie. At the same time, it also has much to say about the sad state of current healthcare in South Africa, dominated as it is by quacks, past traditions and overwhelmed hospitals, with a special emphasis on AIDS which is treated as a shameful affliction while the true shame is how the disease's victims are treated so badly. At least, Chanda is a beacon of hope for her country's future, considering her intelligence, bravery and compassion.
Super Reviewer
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- Chanda: It's not her... It's you who worked so hard.
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- Chanda: I'll always be you friend, you know.
- Chanda: Even if people say bad things about your family.
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July 14, 2011:
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Foreign Titles
- Geliebtes Leben (DE)
- Le secret de chanda (FR)
