'Four Corners' explores theme of family in gritty criminal underbelly

FORGET what you think you know about the dangers of gangsterism and South African prisons. Leave your comfort zone and step into the dark world of the Numbers Gang that have been ruling this country's prisons and impoverished streets for more than a century.

Take a walk with South African filmmaker Ian Gabriel as he takes you on a shocking journey through the criminal underworld of the Cape Flats through the eyes of very different people, all brought together by one common theme: family.

Gabriel's hard-hitting new film, Four Corners, is about the loss of family, the desire to regain family, the attempt by gang members to replace family, or the work of caregivers in the community to protect family structures.

Four Corners, set in present-day Cape Town, centres around four characters and how each of them is affected by the actions of the dreaded 26 and 28 gangs.

Some find love while seeking redemption and dealing with loss; others experience the erosion of family life due to the grip gangsterism has on their society.

After 13 years in notorious Pollsmoor prison, Farakhan (Brendon Daniels), a general in the 28 gang, wishes to leave behind his life of crime and seek out the teenage son he has never met. He is, however, plunged back into a world more violent than the one he was removed from many years ago.

His son, 13-year-old chess prodigy son, Ricardo (Jezriel Skei), finds himself lured into a life of gangsterism by the charismatic Gasant (Irshaad Ally), leader of the Americans.

He soon learns that, as within the four corners of his beloved chess board, there are strict rules within gangs – you can't move around as you please, ranks and titles are key, and above all else, the king rules.

The boy, who never knew his father, finds a role model in police Captain Tito Hanekom (Abduragmaan Adams) who tries his best to keep an eye on him. But his obsession with catching a serial killer takes over.

The mix of Kaapse Afrikaans and Sabela ( the secret language of the Numbers Gang) and the intriguing portrayal thereof, has captured the minds of audiences around the world and was one of the reasons why Four Corners was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film award at the International Press Academy Awards, and was an entry into the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars. - Riaan Marais