Umshini Wam directed by Harmony Korine and starring Die Antwoord had its SXSW premier yesterday before an enthusiastic crowd. I’m unimpressed. Korine seems stuck in perpetual Gummo-land, but there are some brilliant bits sprinkled here and there. I dig the holographic hubcaps. Yo-Landi displays some real acting chops and I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes it in the future.

Korine’s sixteen-minute short brings the audience to the fringes of society where Ninja and Yo Landi of Die Antwoord star as wheelchair-bound gangsters. Residing in the outskirts of civilization, Ninja and Yo Landi play trigger-happy, gun-toting misfits who bond throughout the film by sharing cartoonishly huge joints, sticking-up business owners, and seeking refuge and shelter in the woods. It is a tale of love and the struggle for survival.”

Umshini Wam is Zulu for “bring me my machine gun” and the title of a popular South African anti-apartheid song. Die Antwoord gives the phrase a different spin entirely by using it in the context of a gangsta satire and I’m not sure what the reason for that is. I’m not from South Africa so maybe I’m missing something. Zef?