South African Blood & Water Makes a Splash
Blood and Water is a fast-pace TV series following a determined South African teen who gets swept up in a world of wealth and high school drama. The series starts off introducing Puleng Khumalo, played by Ama Qamata, and her family celebrating Puleng’s missing sister’s birthday. This yearly celebration is painful and awkward and has taken a toll on Puleng as well as caused tension between her parents. Serendipitously that night, Puleng meets a girl who coincidentally has the same birthday as Puleng’s missing sister and so the journey, the drama, the action begins. Is Fikele Bhele, played by Khosi Ngema, Puleng’s missing sister? Set in present-day Cape Town, South Africa, viewers new to life in South Africa get a glimpse of this high school teen’s life within the halls of her high school and beyond. Furthermore, these six sweet episodes are filled with suspense, mystery, a slice of family life, and a whole lot of teen frenemies — with a sprinkle of falling in love and an equal dose of heartbreak.
Blood and Water, lead by award-winning writer and director Nosipho Dumisa, was released in May 2020 and is produced in South Africa. Dumisa previously directed Nommer 37, a feature film that premiered at the 2018 SXSW Festival, about a paraplegic who gets mixed up with dangerous people with the help of a set of binoculars. In this teen series, Dumisa continues on the genre of suspense and physical action with a little less violence - just a little. Blood and Water although containing a somewhat extreme premise of a missing person and set in a community of wealth, the writers, Dumisa along with co-directors Daryne Joshua and Travis Taute weave playful aspects of teen life into the story such as the use social media and love stories. Dumisa produced Blood and Water along with her Gambit Films team, producers Bradley Joshua and Benjamin Overmeyer, and editor Simon Beesley.
The script of the show crafts Puleng to be very determined and strong-willed. However, there are moments in the season where problems could be better solved with the teenagers confided in the adults. For example, what would have happened if Puleng told her parents that she thought Fikele could be their missing family member? The adventures of Puleng are drawn out because she tries to take on the burden (and adventure) of finding out herself. This detail that takes away from a believable plot can be debated with teenage incompetence which is not surprising but does add to Puleng’s state of mind and maturity. The script also develops Wade’s character to be love blind and thus manipulated by Puleng’s objectives. The interactions between the two of them get harder to watch as KB enters the picture. Fortunately, the writing allows Wade to keep some sensibility which makes the viewer retain respect and interest in him. It’s interesting to note that Fikile’s most popular rich girl character is not outright conniving. She appears to be a very sweet girl who just happens to be extremely rich which affords her opportunities and advantages that the majority of the school population does not have. Furthermore, the only evil act she commits is under the persuasion of another friend, Chris Ackerman, played by Arno Greeff. Interestingly enough there’s a side story involving pansexuality which is a nice surprising foray into sexuality but was not given enough time to develop. It’s also worth mentioning that the soundtrack of series stands out. Music Supervisor Mpumi Phillips is very experienced and does a great job getting catchy beats for the series. The set production and costumes also deserve recognition. Overall, the production of Blood and Water is amazing to watch, every element blends and shines seamlessly together.
Ama Qamata who plays Puleng did a fantastic job embodying a determined teenager who stops at nothing to get what she wants but also acts quickly, sometimes on whims. For example, when Puleng’s father is arrested by the police publicly at Puleng’s school, the anguish Qamata embodies allows the audience to really feel and understand how much distress she is in and in turn believe the sometimes incredible actions she takes i.e. fishing Fikele’s used tampon from the trash, is in character. Qamata is also known for her role as Buhle in the South African soap opera Gomora. Khosi Ngema who plays Fikele is also able to establish how her character changes throughout the show as a sweet rich girl who is on top of the world to suicidal towards the end. Ngema really embodies a pure and sweetheart even when she is threatened and persuaded to expose Puleng after the school principal found out about Fikele’s illicit affair. Cindy Mahlangu’s portrayal of Zama Bolton stands out in the series. She is a very outgoing colorful character leaving the audience wanting more than just to provide opportunities for Puleng’s story to develop. Other notable actors in the series include Gail Mabalane as Thendeka Khumalo, Dillon Windvogel as Wade Daniels, and Thabang Molaba as Karabo ‘KB’ Molapo.
