Material

Year: 2012
Country: SOUTH AFRICA
Run Time: 93 minutes

Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, MATERIAL is a comedy about textiles. Also, it’s about stand-up comedy. But mostly it’s about textiles and Ebrahim’s fabric store. It’s kind of about comedy, but it is definitely about the fabric store. In fact, forget the stand-up comedy. You won’t go anywhere with that - it’s for the devil. Stick to the fabric store. Remember: Fabric. Store. Not comedy. Come to think of it, who said “comedy” to begin with? Was it you? I spit on you. Young Muslim Cassim Kaif is the heir apparent to his father’s fabric shop in the not-so-great part of town, but has aspirations to be a stand-up comedian. Spending his days trying to save his father’s shop and spending his nights making people laugh on the other side of Johannesburg, Cassim is torn between his Muslim family and community and the modern world and its temptations of fame and fortune. Will he perform on the big stage and let his father’s life dwindle to obscurity? Or will he use his modern touch and save the family business? MATERIAL is a sensitive fabric film about trying to find the balance between tradition and responsibility. “Life is not a funny business,” but it sure provides great material. (Amirite? Amirite? Is this thing on?) – T.W.

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