Number 37

This South African crime thriller, set in a notoriously dangerous area outside Cape Town, stars Irshaad Ally as Randal, a bitter paraplegic crook desperate to pay off a sadistic loan shark (Danny Ross).  A wonderful Monique Rockman is  Randal’s long-suffering girlfriend. Co-directed by first-time feature director Nosipho Dumisa, the film is cheerfully derivative of Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” emphasizing Randal’s immobility and use of binoculars.  Although focused on lives shaped by chronic poverty, “Number 37” avoids social commentary.  Cinematographer Zenn van Zyl draws richness from the grungy setting, resulting in a film the New York Times calls “crackling with its own lowlife energy.” 

South Africa 2018 (100 minutes)        

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