Collision – Tense Thriller
Director: Fabien Martorell
Writer: William Gillin, Fabien Martorell, Sean Cameron Michael, Siphosethu Tshapu (Screenplay)
Cast: Langley Kirkwood, Tessa Jubber, Bonko Khoza, Mpho Sebeng, Vuyo Dabula, Zoey Sneedon, Siphesihle Vazi, Samke Makhoba
Plot: Freedom always comes at a price.
Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Collision starts as we see the different lives connecting. Businessman Johan (Kirkwood), his wife Diane (Jubber) and teenag daughter Zoey (Sheedon). Crime boss Bra Sol (Dabula) who has been controlling the area with an iron fist. Using Johan to keep things quiet, like the person before him did. Shopkeeper and his daughter Palesa (Makhoba) who wants to improve her future.
Over the course of time, the three stories will collide. As the people look to fix their lives, only making things worse for everyone. The chaos of trying to control a teenager daughter, a man trying to take control and the drug dealer looking to hold onto everything he has.
Thoughts on Collision
Characters & Performances
Johan is a businessman that has worked for a promotion he believes he deserves. He is doing it for his family, so they can have a better life. Johan finds his promotion given to another woman and his teenager daughter rebelling against him. He has a racist mindset, looking down on the black people around his life.
Nicki is the rebellious daughter of Johan and Diane. She has started dating a black man, against her parent’s wishes. Nicki is skipping school, doing drugs and partying all night. She is taken, sparking the new relationship between her father and boyfriend.
Bra Sol is the local crime lord; he has Johan in his pocket. He controls the local area, forcing people to pay him. His criminal activities have controlling the area for years. Now he has shown an even darker side, one that will draw people against him.
The performances in the film are strong. Langley Kirkwood shows us the non-accepting figure behind in the times, loyal to his family. Vuyo Dabula as the ruthless criminal is disturbing to watch. The supporting cast perform well through the film too. Making us see the different motives the characters have.
Story
The story here will follow three sets of lives that come together for one fateful meeting. Seeing the crime boss taking a teenage girl to sell on the black market. The family needing to overcome their own racial beliefs to find her. A side story of the unrest between different nationalities in the streets on South Africa.
Mixing everything together, we get to look into the deeper problem within this world. Not accepting people for being different, causing conflict to create their own perfect world. It is strange having the two stories playing out together, because one is a slick typical action movie. While both have the problem of a father not approving of their daughter’s choice. The other one will focus on the riots caused when not accepting outsiders.
Themes
Collision is a crime thriller that could have been unleashed as an action movie. As we are leading to a big crash sequence, we see in the opening credits. It pulls back towards the thriller side calmly, bringing a more tense unfolding of the story. The South African setting showed us the unrest within the country. The clash of cultures that are still felt between the differing sides within this environment.
Final Thoughts – Collision is a tense interwoven thriller, with plenty of branching storylines.
