Lesotho is well-known for its sprawling mountain ranges, its kingship and the archival reports of cannibalism during the Lifaqane – a period of widespread chaos and warfare among indigenous ethnic communities in southern Africa during the period between 1815 and about 1840. While some refer to the historic reports of cannibalism in Lesotho as a grim moment in the Basotho history, others tell a very different tale.
Grapefruit is a short film that tackles the subject of cannibalism through the journey of a young couple with a shared taste for human flesh.
Lesotho-born and Cape Town-based filmmaker, Ts’episo Mahase recalls the history lessons she was taught in primary school, and the childhood games she used to play that were inspired by rumours and tales told about the country’s cannibal past. One such game stems from an old folk story and the song Ke ledimo, ke ja bana, whereby one child would pretend to be a cannibal who eats snotty kids and the other children would sing along and run away when the make-believe cannibal child would try to snatch his victim.
However, in the film Grapefruit, Mahase chooses not to focus on cannibalism from what she already knows or has heard. “It [cannibalism] was not a means of survival when it came to the characters in the film, it was more of a fetish… It is not normal, but to them, it is a shared bonding experience, which further motivates them to keep doing it until they get caught,” says Mahase.
The film stars Ramosoeu Lesoli as Molise and Mpho Sephelane as Neo. Molise is a herdsman and a well-versed man in his mid-twenties who knows his way around the village of Phamong. Neo, on the other hand, is a manipulative and calculating woman – far more menacing than her partner. What she thinks on, he acts on, so they complement each other in that way. “They are truly themselves around each other… Neo looks at the world and sees how it can serve her, and that causes her not to be as empathetic as Molise. He is evil with remorse, but she is without remorse,” Mahase shares.
“I’d describe it [the film] as a thriller if I really had to. I wanted the audience to be a part of the problem because they feel like they are witnessing a terrible crime but they do not have all the details to solve it. So it isn’t really a film about finding a problem and solving it… Hence there is very little about the character’s actual lives and their backgrounds. It [the film] places the audience almost as a witness or even a voyeur.”
The film commences with Molise, a seemingly regular herdsman in his environment, and his love interest Neo, a well-dressed, striking woman of mysterious character, who has just arrived at her grandparents’ village of Phamong.
The viewer witnesses the couple’s journey as they become lost in their own world and their shared, atrocious interest brings them closer together. However, their blissful union and wicked, carefree ways are suddenly disrupted when the couple discover that they are expecting a baby. “Molise I’d say becomes more remorseful, especially after he learns that he is about to become a father. Neo isn’t remorseful at all, but she does become more thoughtful about her life,” explains Mahase.
Inspired by the film noir style of cinematography, the film unfolds with little dialogue, while creating suspense and mystery through swelling sound. Mahase says that she referenced various films for inspiration including, Shame by Steve McQueen which she says was more of a character development/assessment tool; Stoker by Park Chan-wook; the music video for indie rock band Dirty Projectors’ song ‘Little Bubble’; as well as Klute by Alan J. Pakula for sound and music.
Grapefuit, which exquisitely captures Lesotho’s mountainous beauty, was shot in just three days in the district of Mohales Hoek which can be found in the small village of Phamong. Mahase adds that one scene was shot in the country’s capital – Maseru. The film was shot on the Sony a7s ii camera with a Zhiyun crane stabiliser. The gear was sponsored by Fell + Co, with additional equipment secured by the production crew’s industry connections.
“We used natural lighting, and it helped that the weather was consistent throughout the days we shot. Nothing was really extravagant; we just had the Sony a7s ii with a lens and filter, either on the Zhiyun stabiliser or tripod. Editing-wise wise I was fortunate that I have a boss who strongly encouraged me to learn how to edit, and it helped to get some practice a month or two before the shoot, so that went a long way. Initially, someone else was going to do it, but driving back from the shoot I thought, ‘hey why not do it myself?’”
Post-production duties were also handled by Mahase at Kin Media’s post-production facilities in Cape Town.
Grapefruit has so far enjoyed great media coverage including in the Lesotho Times and on Between 10 and 5. The short film has also been submitted to several film festivals, with Mahase anticipating positive responses.
TECH CHECK:
EQUIPMENT
- Camera: Sony a7s ii and Zhiyun stabiliser
KEY CREW
- Executive producer: Jurie Muller
- Producing, directing, editing: Ts’episo Mahase
- Cinematography: Yanga Ngam
- Sound recording: AudioDreams Studio
- Sound mixer: Cauwen Williams
By Gezzy S Sibisi
