Ntash (2021)

Thirty-one minutes is longer than it takes to overdose on ntash, the street name for methcathinone aka cat. That’s the driving force in this Xhosa-language English-subtitled short movie about two sisters who are forced to think on their feet when the son of a local township gangster overdoses in their lounge.

Ayakha Ntunja and Nomazizi Nonqane play Aphiwe and Zikhona, siblings who appear to be good, wholesome young ladies on the outside. But behind closed doors, they’re running a super-secret drug den where people hand over scrunched up banknotes for their next hit.

This little film packs a whole lot of punch. It made the official selection shortlist at the 2021 Montreal Independent Film Festival, the writing and script is short and snappy and kasi-clever. The actors, who’re largely unknowns, deliver strong performances and despite them being destroyers of the community, you find yourself backing the two sisters as they try to get themselves out of the very deep hole that they’ve got themselves into.