Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Charlize Theron is actually a South African. Which was the first thing that struck me when watching the trailer for the upcoming film, The Last Face. When I heard her speaking in a perfect natural South African accent I thought to myself, “that’s pretty good acting, she nailed the accent” – only to remind myself, this is her natural accent… Such is her popularity and fame in Hollywood movies that she appears just as American as the rest of the actors on the big screen. Credit to her acting talent I guess.
So, why is she now speaking like a South African again? That’s because after two decades of portraying Americans, she is finally playing a role as a South African. Duh. The Last Face is directed by Sean Penn and was filmed in South Africa, more specifically on the West Coast and in Cape Town. The movie follows the story of two doctors (Theron, playing alongside Javier Bardem) who have dedicated their lives to helping the impoverished people in war-torn countries who find love amidst all the bullets, hatred and suffering they face each day.
It sounds like a powerful story and Penn is a masterful storyteller, so I have high hopes for this one. Here’s the trailer for the film:
And it looks like it will be quite a powerful film, if nothing just for the performance of its leads rather than a deep look at the horrors of war in Africa. The film hasn’t received amazing reviews from early festival showing, but it looks like it still has potential and I would definitely like to see it when it release here on January 27th of next year.
I love that movies filmed in South Africa are becoming increasingly prevalent in big Hollywood productions and for a change, we get to have a big South African role played by an actual South African. Even if Theron is almost more American to us these days. It’s not a biopic, but even as a fictional character it’s a good thing.
The Last Face also stars Jean Reno, Jared Harris and Adele Exarchopoulos, off a script by Erin Dignam
Last Updated: November 25, 2016
