A voiceover explains to us, at the outset, that when the railways came to South Africa, bringing foreigners, a brand-new settlement named Marseilles displaced the native population to a township called Railway, which was permitted to linger only for as long as Marseilles thrived. As a spirit of insurrection at this unfairness begins to pervade the town, particularly the town’s youngsters, a group of five friends begin to consider themselves in an almost mythical way as future folk heroes, weaving themselves into stories about their land and its defence. However, when two corrupt Afrikaner police show up to extort money from the inhabitants of Railway, what at first seems a childish conceit on turns into something far more serious. One of the boys, Tau, commits murder out of one of those classic, tragic misunderstandings where it seems this is the only honourable thing to do.
We are not privy to the immediate aftermath of this situation, but we do know that the ‘lion of Marseilles’, Tau, as an adult, has suffered in the intervening years. He is about to be released from jail, and he has nowhere to go but back to Marseilles and Railway, its inferior satellite town on the hill. But no one knows him anymore; he sees what has become of his old childhood gang, now variously oppressed by new, exciting outsiders in the wake of post-apartheid, and he’s galled to see that the corruption which dogged the town has simply passed hands to the native population, as gangs and bent police each control their share of the streets. As he comes to terms with the butterfly effect which his childhood actions have had on his friends in their adult years, his chief struggle is with himself: is a hero? Can he be? And if so, what are his responsibilities?
Five Fingers for Marseilles is in no respects an easy or a comfortable watch. It is selective about showing us violence, but it successfully engineers the sensation that hell is about to break loose at any point, whilst making us care about the lives which are at stake in this corner of the world. In this respect is it a slow, solemn and affecting experience, meticulously put together and acted throughout. This is a solemn, very sombre film which rewards the attention it inevitably demands. Whilst not a film you would pop back on for a re-watch at any point soon after an initial watch, it is nonetheless recommended for anyone seeking careful exposition and atmosphere from a bleak human drama. But be warned: this brooding film packs a punch.
Five Fingers for Marseilles will be appearing in cinemas this September.