Original subtitles

I don't want to be a lawyer anymore.

- What? - I've decided to be a writer now.

Man,

she's too much, bro.

Not only is she two much, she's three much, man.

Move! Move!

Get out, fat boy! Get out!

Sit here! Sit here!

Sit here!

Remember, Miss Cele,

you are a temporally teacher here.

Don't step on too many toes.

Especially mine.

I told you that a more formal hairstyle,

is called for here in Supetsela.

Snowy?

Snowy!

Please wake up. I'm going to school.

No, man. Piss off!

I don't know why you insult me.

Why travel so far to school?

There are many schools near your place.

The thing is at my old school there was no teaching.

At least Supetsela has a good reputation.

Here's a friend of mine.

Back to prison today. Eish.

At least we can learn.

The teachers just stand up front, teaching nothing.

I'm sick of that school. I can't stand it.

I'm prepared to learn.

One day I want to be an economist.

I heard if you get a degree in economics,

you'll have a better future.

No. I can't stand that.

I must live for today.

Your friend is right, Hazel. You must live for today

‪or else you might not see tomorrow.

♪ We ate hey we ate ♪

Want some chips?

Ah! Look!

Okay!

Right the killer!

- What's wrong now? - What's this?

I'm waking this place up, it's dead.

Man! Today it's first assembly.

If that guy sees you he's going to fry you.

He'll never.

How can Mthembu do that?

The new English teacher has them?

No, he won't. Forget it.

I'm stuck with seven classes this year.

That's 300 ghetto brains to deal with.

- Morning. - Morning Zoe.

All work. No pain.

I hate teaching...

So why do it then?

How else will I pay my bills?

Now it's time for church.

"How have the Lord covered the daughter

of zone with the cloud in his anger?

And cast down from heaven unto the earth

the beauty of Israel.

The Lord had swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob,

- and have not pitied." - Look at Sticks with those dreadlocks.

"He has thrown down his wrath."

- I could have him for breakfast. - "The strong holds and daughter of Juda."

I'll add milk.

"He stood with his right hand,

as an adversary,

to slew all that to a pleasant to the eye

in the tabernacle

of the daughter of Zion.

He poured his fury like a fire."

And so let this be a lesson to us all

Hallelujah.

And now, I would like to introduce,

a new member of the staff Miss Cele.

She'll be teaching English.

Okay, you Rasta baby!

Jah love, sweetie!

You continue with that,

and you're going to pick up your skins

on the ground where you're standing.

I received this notice, from the department,

about an S.A competition.

This competition is open to all high school students

who study history.

The winner will receive a bursary

to study at the university.

I hope that all history students

will take the opportunity

to further enhance the reputation

of Supetsela High.

Dismiss.

Go on! Go on!

Moses Manana.

Present, Mistress.

That's it, Mr. Spear.

You're in the army boy.

Down down down. Go.

Okay.

Okay guys, please lets settle down, please.

You're next Ma'am , you too got dreadlocks.

- Be quiet. - Mthembu is doing what he does best.

Please, let's try to ignore what's happening outside. Please.

Please be quiet.

Okay the Olympia topic is,

in order to understand the present,

and to foresee the future,

we need to turn to the past.

I'll discuss with reference to any recent event

in South Africa.

You have a month to write this essay.

The top five essays in the school,

will be entered into the national finals.

Mantra please clean up the board.

You never know,

one of you might make it to the national finals,

and be the winner.

Mantra have you forgotten about the dress code?

Mthembu better see you!

Sexy legs like these could cause the old man a heart attack.

I was very interested to see that Sophiatown

is on list of recommended books this year.

And it represents a very important event in our history.

So I think we should put together a drama group,

and we perform the play Sophiatown.

- What do you think? - Ma'am,

the truck delivering our English textbooks was hijacked.

I didn't realize our books were in that truck.

It's Chester, Ma'am.

We saw him spinning the truck around the shop.

Bobo. Bobo.

Do you want a bullet in your head?

They'll shoot you. Mind your own.

Okay, we need actors,

stage dresses, makeup,

backstage people. Who's interested?

There are male characters in the play as well.

We can't only have girls, come on guys.

Ma'am I think Nomsa can be a man in the play.

And I suppose you want to play one of the girls.

‪

Don't ever do that to my friend.

Oh you too.

Oh, man.

Javas you should audition for the play.

I'm sure you'd like to be on stage.

Quiet!

The sun is like a big exploding

ball of fire.

It has been shining for

four and a half thousand million years.

- ‪ - Will it burn out one day, Sir?

Yes, just like this match.

‪

Oh, Mr. Mthembu.

Mr. Zondo has something here to tell you.

Class, I'm very sorry...

Tell them!

To corrupt the school's name,

with my... with my dreadlocks.

- Yes? - In 1910.

Second question is,

who was Hottentot Hever?

What was her real name?

Hazel?

I don't know, Sir.

Anyone else?

Uh, her name was Krotoa.

She was a Khoi servant in the foundry castle.

Hm. Good.

Fourth question.

How many languages could Sol Plaguey speak?

I'm sorry I corrupted the school's name

with my with my dreadlocks!

Okay class,

carry on with your essays.

Hazel, could I see you please?

Do you have an older sister called Snowy?

Yes Sir, why?

I thought...

Never mind.

Ah, it's stiff because I write what I like.

Relevant to the S.A topic.

No, I think Ken Mugowan stopped bugging me

is more relevant.

Try the Bible boy.

There's some more, corrections...

I cannot believe Mthembu.

What's the matter Zoe?

This display of prehistoric savagery!

Just because of a hair style.

Please, see what you've caused?

That's unfair Zaza, man.

Don't be hard on your cousin.

The scum in the school needs discipline.

I mean a beating never does any students any harm.

And the parents ask us to punish their children.

- ‪ - Zaza no.

You should have seen what he did.

What Mthembu did was pure humiliation.

Zoe.

Mthembu has been running this school for many years.

And it has worked.

And at least we've got students in the classrooms,

and they pass!

Excuse me.

I share Zoe's views.

A good tongue lashing is all the students need.

‪-Mm. ‪-They should be treated with respect,

in an environment of democratic interaction.

Easy to say, but hard to implement.

No, but I agree with Ken.

Because all Mthembu is saying, "Is saying students look,

violence is a solution."

I just think the department should intervene in this case.

The department bends corporal punishment

but leaves the teacher with nothing to replace it.

Hm.

I'm afraid we are out numbered

by all the old-fashioned views in this place.

- Hi. How're you? - Good.

Great.

Fixed anything?

Everything done.

- Yeah? - Yes, everything done.

Tell me.

Did you get new license plates?

Everything, the whole deal is complete.

Uh.

What are these doing here?

Leave them, they are stolen.

Tell you what.

- I want them. - Huh?

As part of the part of the deal.

Okay.

Here.

This is what we do.

Take this.

I'll pay the rest,

when we pick up the van tonight.

- Around ten o'clock. - Okay.

"In a fluid blue world,

I want to hold on to something.

Someone.

Someone I know is solid.

But the people,

boys I know,

I cannot trust. No.

Because they don't mean what they say.

And the kisses,

and the embraces mean nothing,

anymore."

Hm. Okay.

Whose point of view is being presented in this poem?

- Uh Ma'am. - Nomsa.

The poet is presenting her point of view.

Well Ma'am,

the poet is not telling the truth.

It's women who can't be trusted.

Sorry brother.

Hey, you.

You boys are not honest.

You guys cheat on us.

Don't be crazy. Did you say cheat?

- You heard me! - You girls want impossible.

Things such as love.

What is love?

Okay let's go back to the poem,

and look carefully at the way words have been used.

Poets always use words in a very careful manner,

to make meaning.

For an example in this point what the poet is saying,

she's saying the world is blue,

and fluid. What does that mean?

Javas.

Mistress.

Uhm...

Has anyone ever cheated on you before?

Uhm... it happens to a lot of us.

Oh, so that's why you like this poem?

Do you like this poem?

Hmm.

What do you know about trust Javas?

You have a different girl every week.

You're a playboy.

You're also towing the line?

What are you laughing at?

Quiet!

What is this noise?!

Miss Cele.

Why isn't your class working?

Sir, we are doing poetry.

Students can't learn anything in a noisy class.

Thizo.

How're you, bro?

This is Hazel.

I've brought you to the right person.

He'll help you out.

Ask him for anything.

Where can I find a book about the Khoi in the library?

Yes, I think we got it.

Don't worry about what Ken Said.

I'll help you.

Thanks.

Boys I know I cannot trust.

No, because they don't know what they say.

Friend.

Do you think this is true?

I'll tell you what,

never let a boy break your heart.

Hey friend.

You still think about Sipho?

Sometimes friend.

I'll never let a boy break my heart again.

My new boyfriend Bushy treats me like a queen.

Oh well, I've got my man Will Smith.

But my friend, get yourself a real man.

Hm.

I don't think we'll get the book you're looking for.

Uhm...

Books look beautiful, but they're useless.

Just look.

Like this one.

I want to be a writer,

but nothing here inspires me.

Hm-mm.

Tell me,

mmm, what do you want to be?

- Who me? - Hm-mm.

An economist.

Why?

Not many Black women follow this career.

And I want to make money.

Serious? Okay.

Now.

Do you think you know what will happen

when lithium is dropped into the water?

Yes, Nomsa?

The lithium will react with the water

and there will be an explosion.

Now we're going to drop a piece of lithium in the water

and see if Nomsa's predictions are correct.

Nyembe.

There's no need to move away.

You are not in any danger.

The last three weeks...

Somebody must have put potassium in this bottle.

Lithium should not explode as violent as this.

Nyembe.

You and I have some business to take care of.

Javas.

What happened?

Sir,

during a break I used,

something to steam the labels off the two bottles.

And swapped the labels.

But then how did you know that potassium

would explode more violently than lithium?

Uhm...

A potassium,

it's lower down in the periodic table.

So I mean, I thought it would probably have a higher reaction rate.

That is good.

Well maybe you can go and explain that to the class.

Yeah, let's go.

Yizo, man. Yizo Yizo,

you must show them and

dye your hair blond.

He's right. Mthembu will never touch you.

Mthembu, will never beat you.

We're here at the guys. We'll show him flames.

Nonsense. No one helped me.

Pong!

Look, man.

What now, bro?

Thiza, what's happening with Hazel?

Are things coming together?

Have you asked her telephone number?

Not yet...

You'll never get them.

If you wait too long other guys will move in.

You'll regret it.

Friends, last week we were driving BCG 545 GP.

I was sitting in front,

eating a Nando's drumstick.

You're lying.

You're always dropped by your father.

Boys you know, are the ones

you shake hands with at your church.

You know nothing.

Anyway, let me tell you,

I only go out with R's to Z's.

Ohh nana.

Cause they can afford me.

What about Sonnyboy?

- Let's go. - Ah Cuz not today.

I've got to wait for Ken. He promised me this book, "Pedagogy

of the oppressed." I've been searching for it.

He told it inspired him when he started to teach didn't he?

What's so funny?

What's so funny Zaza?

Here comes Sonnyboy.

You're also an SST!

Bye.

‪

- ‪ Subtitle translation by: Antoinette Smit