dear friend

Trailer at dear friend
Writing a letter is a unique kind of intimacy. It takes care, time and thought. ‘dear friend’ is a film that draws from the contemplative patience of letter writing to share the story, of many women, rarely told. The letter greets the viewer with an abrupt and fierce jerk into the memories of the two survivors of intimate partner violence. You are invited into the intimate psychology of two women and into the fragmented, visceral, dark and shadowed reality of intimate partner violence in same-sex relationships. It is a glimpse into what the film unravels through light and shadow: the survivor’s journey of denial, acknowledgement and determination to leave. Through their voices we can hear and imagine and also acknowledge, as members of our societies, how we have failed to see that their story is a true one. The film leaves no room for “women cannot be violent”, nor for ignoring the very real truth of the survivors. ‘dear friend’ demands you to admit to yourself all the things you may have chosen to be blind to and to see past the darkness and the shadowed veil of silence shrouding this issue. It casts light and commands: even if you choose not to see, you will hear these stories.

Production by Tumelo Thamaga and Sinalo Thuku