If you are looking for a feel-good movie to get through the chilly weather, “Good Life” is a proudly South African film that has everyone excited!
Cape Town, South Africa (23 June 2022) – Good Life is a movie that has been in the making for the last 14 years. It was a dream of Director and Writer Bonnie Rodini to make this movie. When the hard lockdown hit, she wasn’t deterred and pushed forward, finally making her movie.
The entire film, cast and production were shot in Cape Town, South Africa. Bonnie’s film has quickly earned a place in many South African hearts. Carolyn Steyn, a patron of the South African arts, film and theatre, gave the movie a rave review.
“Such a feel good, beautiful story with exquisitely nuanced performances. Most of the actors I don’t know, so I was surprised that the cast was mostly South African – their accents were just so convincing. I don’t normally cry in movies but I can tell you I laughed and I shed tears of delight.”
“I don’t personally know the other actors but I can tell you that we have such powerful talent in our country. And I fell in love with the young Albanian boy played by Caleb Payne. Remember that name! What I also LOVED was the generosity shown by the director to her crew, giving them proper recognition in the credits. I loved that. You can tell that this film was made with love.” – Carolyn Steyn
Carolyn highly recommends this gem of a movie, adding it to her favourites such as Shirley Valentine and Love Actually. She calls it a feel-good escape. We have been given it as a recommendation several times and must agree. The talent in South Africa is incredible, so it is no surprise that the movie has been invited to several film festivals, where it has even been nominated for awards. These include the Toronto Independent Film Awards, Berlin Independent Film Festival and Madrid Film Awards.
The film won the award for the Best Feature Film at the Berlin Independent Film Festival.
The film follows Olive Pappadopoulous, 35, an Oral Hygienist from Cape Town who flees the country after she is left heartbroken. She arrives in her Mediterranean paradise only to be faced with hostility from the local villagers. Olivia is then befriended by a 7-year-old refugee named Jet, who teaches her how to live “The Good Life.”
All the actors playing foreigners were coached by Robyn Sara Scott to make sure their accents were faultless. Due to the hard lockdown, local actors were taught to speak with Greek and Albanian accents to make the film more authentic.
Take a look at the trailer below. You can stream the film on Netflix, and recently, it was purchased for distribution in the United States.
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