A WHITE lion, according to the Shangaan legend, acts as a messenger from the gods and this film portrays the perilous coming-of- age journey of a white lion cub, Letsatsi. The cub has many potentially dangerous encounters, among them with hyenas, a porcupine and a crocodile, but it is the ultimate danger of a callous trophy hunter (AJ van der Merwe) that poses the biggest threat. Letsatsi is not without allies, though, one of them being Nkulu, an older tawny lion who befriends him and teaches him hunting skills and the ways of the wild. He also has a human guardian in the form of Gisani (Thabo Malema), an animal tracker who finds his life intertwined with that of the white lion and who plays a crucial role in the final climactic confrontation.

White Lion is a locally produced film with the screenplay written by Maritzburg’s own Janet van Eeden. Applying classic mythic structure, the story unfolds well, but the film itself is unable to realise its true potential, as in a film like The Bear. Working with animals in film is known to be one of the toughest challenges and the film-makers are to be commended on their tenacity and ability in constructing individual scenes. The challenge though, lies on the level of sub-text where a director is able to emotionally engage the audience. If one is a genuine fan of lions, then there is more than enough beautiful footage to enjoy. However, in a commercial cinematic presentation, audiences will have certain expectations related to the inner journey of protagonists. This is the true challenge for the director and in this case I do not feel he has completely succeeded.

This criticism, however, by no means, detracts from the lovely cinematography and the genuine appeal that lions bring to the big screen. As a South African film it deserves to be supported and presents an important stepping stone for the development of our film-makers in this worthwhile genre. Well done to all involved. Three stars for effort.

*** Mike Hatton