Abdullah Ibrahim: A Brother with Perfect Timing — YouTube
The passing of musical giant Abdullah Ibrahim this week provides an opportune moment to watch this 1987 documentary by Chris Austin. It offers a quiet, bittersweet portrait of the artist, physically far away from his Cape Town home but still playing its sounds, music and rhythms in his head as he works his compositional and improvisational magic in his New York apartment, believing but not yet knowing that freedom would come to South Africa.
Rush — Prime Video
Jason Patric and Jennifer Jason Leigh star in the only directorial effort of producer Lili Fini Zanuck. Based on a bestselling book by Kim Wozencraft — inspired by a true story from 1970s Texas — the 1991 film tells the dark and seamy story of two undercover narcotics officers: a seasoned veteran and a green rookie, who cross the line and lose their moral compasses when they become addicted to the drugs they’re supposed to be stopping.
Miami Blues — Prime Video
Young Alec Baldwin gives an unnerving performance as violent sociopath “Junior”, who has recently been released from prison, in George Armitage’s neo-noir comedy thriller from 1990. Adapted by Armitage from the 1984 novel by cult-noir favourite Charles Willeford, the film features another strong performance from Jennifer Jason Leigh and makes plenty of space for veteran Fred Ward, who brings Willeford’s memorable Sgt Hoke Moseley to life as he races to stop “Junior” before all his worst impulses are let loose on Miami.
Football on Film — Mubi.com
There is plenty of football-related content available outside the Fifa World Cup coverage from Mubi’s mini festival. Two documentaries by Romanian New Wave director Corneliu Porumboiu — Infinite Football (2018) and The Second Game (2014) — use football as a means of probing bigger questions about history, national identity and humanity’s future. Offside, Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s 2006 Berlin Silver Bear winner, trains a sly, empathetic eye on the absurdities of life in Iran, where a female football fan’s decision to travel to the stadium to support her team soon becomes a minefield of theocratic laws.
Black Burns Fast — Prime Video
Writer and director Sandulela Asanda’s feature debut, fresh from its screenings at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, sends a message about acceptance and sexuality in this adolescent love story. At an elite boarding school, where she’s already the object of patronising “Oh, you speak so well” comments from parents and teachers, Luthando (Esihle Ndleleni) finds that her careful plans take an unexpected turn as she realises she’s falling hard for new arrival Ayanda (Muadi Ilung).
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