This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection

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2:04

This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection

2019

2h 0m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

100%

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38 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

An 80-year-old widow stands up to local officials who want to build a dam and resettle her village.

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Critics Consensus

This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection stands in the fault line between the cradle of tradition and tomorrow, defiantly insisting that one need not exist at the expense of the other.

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Wael Khairy

RogerEbert.com

...nothing short of miraculous. In fact, “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection” is as unforgettable as any film I’ve ever seen.

Sep 23, 2022

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Adam Nayman

The Ringer

By the end, Twala's presence-and her grievance-feel genuinely monumental.

Jul 19, 2021

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Radheyan Simonpillai

NOW Toronto

Between the textures of Twala's aged but defiant face and the deep, contemplative landscapes behind her, I doubt you'll see more beautiful and awe-inspiring images this year.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 4, 2021

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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

What is progress if it forsakes everything that came before it?

Feb 12, 2024

Full Review

Filipe Freitas

Always Good Movies

A lucid and rare survival cry.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 24, 2022

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

A work of great and terrible beauty, with a keen sense of time and place and timeless sense of justice.

Rated: 4/4

Dec 29, 2021

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Dolapo O

Mary Twala provides a hauntingly beautiful performance in this movie that challenges the stereotypes of most African films that paint the rural areas as places of peace and calm by exposing what really goes on in the homelands far away from the evil influences of the "city". They have their own form of corruption and struggles, Mary Twala beautifully portrays the experience of a southern African grandmother who tries to hold on to her way of life when everything else around her seems set on burning and erasing any living memory of it. An Oscar worthy performance.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/22/25

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brad n

Sublime, heartbreaking, life!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/31/23

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Audience Member

Beautiful, sentimental, and rich with cultural traditions and storytelling. This film belongs in a museum.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

Director

Mary Twala

Mantoa

Jerry Mofokeng

Lesiba Player

Makhaola Ndebele

Priest

Tseko Monaheng

Chief Khotso

Siphiwe Nzima-Ntskhe

Pono

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This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection: Trailer 1

2:04

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Synopsis

An 80-year-old widow stands up to local officials who want to build a dam and resettle her village.

Director: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Producer: Cait Pansegrouw, Elias Ribeiro
Screenwriter: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Production Co: Torino Film Lab, Creative Europe Media, Urucu Media, Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Biennale College - Cinema, Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Southern Sotho
Runtime: 2h 0m

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