This documentary charting the rise and fall of the only multiracial punk rock band in apartheid-era South Africa will please fans but, lacking scale and access, may leave the rest of us disappointed. Told largely through archive footage shot on Super 8 and audio-only interviews, the film recounts the short life of National Wake. Friends and family of the punk rockers feature, and former member Ivan Kadey narrates most of the film.
Eschewing talking heads for invisible ones, the bright start suggests this gambit might pay off; but soon the recollections become bit of a drone, and who exactly is speaking becomes unclear. The film opens strong with the band members covered in paint and playing around, but the truly marvellous moments captured are undermined by filler. Much of this footage doesn’t include sound, so descriptive voiceover interviews fill in the gaps.
