The Last Ranger

A young girl in South Africa is taken on a journey by her ranger friend to see some real, live rhinos, but when poachers turn up to cut the rhino’s horn the girl’s life takes a dramatic turn.

 

From Six Feet Films and Kindred Films, The Last Ranger is the second production in a proposed series of twenty-four from the When The World Stopped series. The idea, from co-founders and producers Darwin Shaw and Will Hawkes, is to make these films in collaboration with local artists around the world in order to tell the stories most relevant to the issues these communities were facing during the global pandemic. In this, the South African entry into the anthology, we follow Litha (Mroqoza) as she spends a day like no other, unknowingly being inducted into the way of the wildlife ranger, which will have far-reaching consequences for her and her future.

 

Litha lives with her father and her grandmother. They are poor and have become desperately more so since the pandemic hit, stopping as it did, all tourism and any money coming into the community. Litha’s father, Thabo (Ndebele) must leave for a while to go and find some work, though he does not say where he is going. In the meantime, Litha must get herself out of her grandmother’s hair, knowing herself to be, and having being told so many times – just ‘too wild’ to be underfoot.

 

So, Litha picks up the wooden animal figurines which her father has carved and resolves to take them to one of the lodges to sell for cash. On the way she meets Khuselwa (Qongqo), the last local ranger who has been protecting and recording the numbers of rhino in the area. Khuselwa tells Litha that the lodges are closed because of the pandemic and will not open for many months, then, seeing the despair in the child’s eyes, offers to take her to see some real rhinos who also live wild and free, just as she does.

 

The relationship between Khuselwa and Litha is very open and honest and builds quickly as they traverse the land in their jeep. Litha has never used a video camera before and when she sees herself in the viewfinder, as Khuselwa records, a tender moment of childhood innocence is shared. Litha marvels at the sight of the wildlife surrounding her, learning the English name for ‘giraffe’ and being introduced to the rare white rhino. One female rhino in particular, Thandi, is known to Khuselwa and she listens to the voices of the two women in the jeep as they continue their conversation around her. It is only when Thandi starts ‘dancing’ in a strange way that the reality of the situation is revealed and Khuselwa must do everything she can to keep both Thandi and Litha safe.

 

Throughout The Last Ranger we are treated to some incredible shots of the South African landscape from director Cindy Lee and cinematographer James Adey. There are plenty of tracking shots across the ground, along with aerial shots from above, which really pull the audience into the South African veldt and set the scene beautifully. There is plenty of colour and light coming into the picture from the sun and the vegetation, and once the real, live animals start coming into the frame it really does feel like you’re on safari. The music, too, from composer John Powell, uses local sounds and instruments along with the empowering voices of the Thanda Choir to round out the experience of being enveloped by the wild South African landscape.

 

It is this marriage of the power of the visuals and the strength of the narrative which stands The Last Ranger out as a tour de force in independent filmmaking. As we are brought into Litha, Khuselwa and Thandi’s story we get to share their hopes and fears in up-close and personal detail. The quick turns offer smiles and tears in equal measure and despite the short time we have to get to know them, the characters spare no emotion in helping us to identify with their plight. Each actor does a great job in their own right but it is Liyabona Mroqoza as Litha who really holds the heart of this film, delivering a stunningly visceral performance that is well beyond her years to tell us just what this story means.

 

The Last Ranger is an important and insightful film which tells its story with immediacy and integrity. It is a visual spectacle as well as a well-crafted narrative joy, where the audience can experience their heart beating solidly in their chest whilst also having the bitter taste of blood in their mouth. The strong message behind The Last Ranger resonates far beyond the plains of South Africa, and as such it is one of the most useful lockdown films to have been made by anyone thus far.