The second of the South African rom-com anthology, Netflix’s Umjolo: Day Ones review is here to let you know everything that’s important before you tune on to this film. The plot follows two best friends who have been together since childhood. However, their friendship is tested when one friend feels like a third wheel after the other gets married and has children. Adding on, a wild night creates a bigger mess for the two.
Umjolo: Day Ones Director
Fikile Mogodi
Umjolo: Day Ones Cast
Sbusisiwe Jili, Khumbulani Kay Sibiya, Trix Vivier, and Menzi Biyela
Umjolo: Day Ones Release Date
20 December, 2024
-No Spoilers-
Umjolo: Day Ones Review
The film’s plot follows best friends Zenele and Andile who have been best friends since day one. However, Zenele begins to feel left out after her friend gets married and has kids, a family that has now replaced his time with her. But this isn’t where the problems start; when provoked by their classmates to share a kiss during a reunion, unfamiliar feelings begin to enter their relationship. Will their friendship be able to pass this hurdle?
The plot of this film is quite simple and makes for a fun watch, however, this anthology is about women taking a stand for themselves and delivering reactions that are different from the stereotyped ones. Like Lethu (the main character in the first film) decides to completely break up with her toxic boyfriend, Zenele in this film is also here to show that she wouldn’t be running into Andile’s arms just because of his feelings.
While she too isn’t completely cleaned off from the mess that the two make, she shows a character who is ready to own up to her mistakes and do whatever it takes to keep Andile’s family united. Unfortunately, Andile is the one messing up things for himself and also for Zenele. The film is cleanly following the perspective this anthology is holding on to and we are quite happy with the actions of the women in these films.
The characters in this film are all well-written and hold a chemistry that is smooth and sparkling. The little scenes of the narrator popping up in the most unexpected places also create a fun and light atmosphere for the film which only engages the audience further. I loved how realistic this plot was because it made you see the real reactions of women in such situations.
Meanwhile, the actors have put up a wonderful performance and where on one side you can see the turmoil within Zenele, you can also see the pain and shock Jessica (Andile’s wife) goes through. The two women really stand out throughout the film and we see the joke fate plays on them because of Andile’s confusion. But, I can also see where Andile comes from to quite an extent, he is somewhat pushed to Zenele by his family which become the real root of all problems for them. However, at the end of the day, he is the one causing problems not just for his wife and friend, but also for Zenele’s boyfriend.
Finally, I have to talk about the beautiful cinematography that not only highlights South African culture but also tries to show how the union of Andile and Jessica changes lives. Their relationship is certainly fragile, and we can see the struggle they’ve stood against before Andile makes a mess.
Summing Up
Umjolo: Day Ones is an easy and entertaining watch that comes with a plot that can be quite annoying in certain places. While it is surely a one-time watch, it brings together the right amount of different elements that make for a good rom-com. The film is certainly better than the first instalment in this anthology and makes for a good watch.
Watch Umjolo: Day Ones on Netflix.
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