LAFF Review: 'Ayanda And The Mechanic' Is A Fresh, Modern Example Of African Cinema

For non-African audiences, Sara Belcher’s “Ayanda and the Mechanic” is an important and fascinating piece that is absolutely worth seeing for its representation of a modern African story, which is uniquely, distinctively African, but also urban, fresh and contemporary in a way that is far too rare. Anchored by a standout performance by the magnetic Fulu Mugovahni, the vibe and milieu of “Ayanda and the Mechanic” is as refreshing as a light summer breeze—when it’s not bogged down by overwrought drama that nearly kills the momentum.

Mugovahni stars as Ayanda, a bright and bubbly young woman living and working in Yeoville, a township of Johannesburg, South Africa. We are introduced to her through a film-within-a-film device that runs through the course of ‘Ayanda,’ a documentary/photo project by a young man who seeks to capture the stories of the diverse people in his city. Ayanda is a creative jolt of energy, a designer repurposing old barrels and scrap metal into hip pieces of...