This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection

In a small village nestled amongst the mountains of land-locked Lesotho, an 80-year-old widow awaits the return of her only surviving family member: her son. Sombre messengers deliver the news: her son has died in a mining accident. Distraught by the sudden news of his untimely death, Mantoa says her goodbyes to all worldly things. At the same time, it is announced her close-knit community will have to make way for the construction of a water tank. This leads to great dismay with the other villagers, but for Mantoa it means finding her will to live and fight once again.

A melancholic fairy-tale that destroys the fact that man and nature should stand aside in order for progress to be made, and it does it in an audio-visually astonishing way.

Director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese based this story on his own grandmother’s life – and many others – who were displaced and forced to move. This puzzling film is not only a process of grief after severe uprooting, it is also a call to action.