Summary
You’ll easily fall for this fun, family affair. A little healthy competition never hurts true love.
A Soweto Love Story is a South African romantic comedy that sees a desperate mother trying to get her three sons settled down and married ASAP. What is the best way to get them to settle down? Make it a game. The family house is the prize for the first one to tie the knot; it’s now a race to the altar before New Year’s to get the Ngubeni family home.
The cast includes Duduzile Ngcobo as Bongekile, Lunga Shabalala as Sandile, Sparky Zulu as Menzi, and Ray Neo Buso as Sky. All have excellent chemistry in being a loving yet dysfunctional family.
This film is a whole lot of fun. We quickly learn about three sons, who are busy with their careers and playing the dating field, and not concerned with settling down and having children. But that doesn’t mean their determined mother Bongekile isn’t. When all hope is lost, all three are single, it’s now time to change this and get them married.
Everyone is convinced that one of the sons is gay, and he insists he isn’t and has a secret girlfriend. This sub-storyline is very intriguing and I was excited to see who they were and if they were real.
As the film progresses we watch as the three brothers try to score a wife, whilst navigating their issues in their work lives. In each man’s life, there is a woman whom they have a small conflict with, and whilst we know these are the women they’re going to end up with, it’s enjoyable to watch their journey build from friendship to romance.
Didintle Khunou and N’kone Mametja are fantastic in their roles. Their performances shine and they steal their scenes with undeniable charm and confidence.
The conflict between the brothers regarding their reasons for getting married and who they choose is believable and close to reality, making this easy to stay engaged with. They also try to sabotage one another whilst remaining friends which, I think, resembles a true sibling relationship. And I love how the language flits between Zulu and English so effortlessly.
It’s hard to predict which brother will win, and what will happen at the end. One brother’s love story particularly stands out as maybe the winner — there will be one you root for, even though it’s hard not to root for them all.
With a happy, hopeful ending, this film put a big stupid smile on my face.
If you’re looking for a film that’s filled with fun, family, and romance, then A Soweto Love Story is the one for you. Netflix certainly is investing in international films and this is one of its best.
