Dora\u2019s Peace, starring Khabonina Qubeka in the title role, and directed by Kosta Kalarytis, has opened to excellent reviews.<\/p>\n
Shot on location in Johannesburg, the film tells the story of Dora, a Hillbrow prostitute, who sets out to save a gifted young boy from the violent clutches of organised crime, in the process, she is forced to rediscover aspects of her own lost humanity.<\/p>\n
Following its countrywide release on Friday 26 August, film critics have responded positively to this tale of an unlikely heroine and her journey of self-discovery.<\/p>\n
IOL\u2019s Theresa Smith calls it \u201ca poignant crime drama\u201d and a \u201cstrong and surprise debut from director Kosta Kalarytis\u201d. She adds that Qubeka, whose performance she describes as magnetic, creates a complex character, \u201ceschewing stereotype to show us an older woman who has learnt to survive, she plays to her strengths and has no mercy\u201d. Smith has praise for the script too and for Geo Hohn\u2019s music which \u201cbeautifully underscores the atmosphere, egging on suspense one moment, sharing delight the next\u201d, and for Nic Hofmeyr\u2019s cinematography.<\/p>\n
Emmanuel Tjiya writing in The Sowetan, says the film is a \u201cmuch needed departure from all the glossy rom-coms and launches us into an exhilarating path of crime drama\u201d. He describes the film as fast-paced, with \u201ca heart-palpitating action sequence central to the screenplay that will leave you begging for more just in the first 15 minutes\u201d. But it\u2019s Qubeka\u2019s performance that nails it: \u201cWith her finesse, Qubeka gently ushers you through a tale of how and adolescent mistake turned the world of a once na\u00efve village upside-down, thrusting her into a dark world of prostitution and drugs in downtown Jozi. Qubeka\u2019s genius in her portrayal is in how she manages to capture a strong character, with countless demons, but at the same time bring to the table so much heart and vulnerability that it\u2019s sure to resonate with a female audience\u201d.<\/p>\n
Reviewing the film in the Cape Times, Steyn du Toit says, \u201cThanks to the spot-on casting of its lead actress, a new breed of local silver screen icon has the potential to be born\u201d. He also praised the film\u2019s costume design, soundtrack and stellar cinematography.<\/p>\n
What matters most is that audiences are agreeing with the critics. On its opening weekend, the film took 85% of the box office of Yesterday (South Africa\u2019s Oscar submission in 2004), 309% of Life Above All (South Africa\u2019s Oscar submission in 2010), and 106% of Monster\u2019s Ball, which earned Halle Berry an Oscar for Best Actress in 2002.<\/p>\n
\u201cDora\u2019s Peace is in good company, and performing well to its intended market\u201d, says Helen Kuun , of Indigenous Film Distribution, which is distributing the film in South Africa. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that the film has a message for women across South Africa and across generations, about deriving te strength to stand up for themselves and what they believe in, but what is most exciting is Khabonina Qubeka\u2019s performance as Dora. She\u2019s and actress to watch and local audiences can look forward to seeing her next year in Gersh Kgamedi\u2019s She is King\u201d.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=b_quAQpZoSI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dora\u2019s Peace, starring Khabonina Qubeka in the title role, and directed by Kosta Kalarytis, has opened to excellent reviews. Shot on location in Johannesburg, the film tells the story of Dora, a Hillbrow prostitute, who sets out to save a gifted young boy from the violent clutches of organised crime, in the process, she is… Continue reading Khabonina Qubeka’s Performance In Dora’s Peace Hailed As “Magnetic”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2212\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}