Twenty years after fleeing from the brutal police aggression in colonial Marseilles, a member of the Five Fingers returns seeking peace, but with the town under new threat, he must reluctantly fight to free it, in this thriller from South African filmmaker Michael Matthews.

85

Discovery

Five Fingers For Marseilles

Michael Matthews

Near the colonial town of Marseilles in the rugged Eastern Cape of South Africa, a group of rebellious friends dubbed the Five Fingers use well-placed eggs and slingshots to drive off the oppressive police force. But when the cops seize quick-tempered Tau's childhood love, Lerato, he goes from throwing eggs to shooting bullets. Scared of capture or worse, Tau flees, returning 20 years later to a town, and friends, transformed by the violence caused that day. With the crooked cops now replaced by a caustic gang, Tau must marshal what remains of the Fingers to once again defend their home.

Steeped in the tradition of the western, Five Fingers for Marseilles subverts the genre by placing the story within the Indigenous community, with the settlers and the divisions brought on by colonialism shown to be the enemy.

Gorgeously captured by director of photography Shaun Harley Lee and stylishly helmed by Michael Matthews, the film honours its cinematic forebears while exploring new territory. Following years of consultation with the local community, Five Fingers represents a new style of film production for South Africa while emerging as one of the best westerns of the year and one of 2017's most compelling debut features.

JESSE WENTE

Screenings

Fri Sep 08

Scotiabank 5

Press
11:15am
Sat Sep 09

Bell Lightbox 4

Regular
9:45pm
Mon Sep 11

Jackman Hall

Regular
9:30am
Wed Sep 13

Scotiabank 5

Press
11:30am
Sat Sep 16

Scotiabank 9

Regular
3:00pm