Common Sense Media Review
By Jose Solis
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Romantic melodrama with nudity, language, and drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Umjolo: My Beginning, My End!
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In UMJOLO: MY BEGINNING, MY END! we meet Mayi (Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku) , a young woman engaged to be married, who meets Zweli (Yonda Thomas) a few days before her wedding. The two fall in love, and Mayi has to decide whether to go through with her wedding or seek happiness with Zweli as Mayi's family unravels with secrets from the past.
Is It Any Good?
By now, fans of the Umjolo series know what to expect in these romantic dramas: intrigue, over-the-top twists and turns, and an idea of love that defies all logic. Umjolo: My Beginning, My End! continues the established formula as it explores what happens when Mayi meets her soulmate days before her wedding to a man she doesn't love. Because the film follows a successful formula, you don't need to be fluent in Umjolo to expect predictability and the fulfillment of romantic (and gender-based) stereotypes as characters seek their happy ending.
There's something quite stale about the way in which the plot happens to the characters, rather than having their humanity lead the story. As such, it's easy to root for them based on our own preconception of what romantic movies should do, but harder to connect with them as people. Younger viewers are unlikely to be invested, and adults might indulge only if they're looking for easy escapism.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Mayi behaves when she falls in love with Zweli. How does she show the importance of fighting for what you believe in? How could she have acted differently?
How do you think women are portrayed in the film compared to men? Are they given the same agency? What does the film say about how men and women behave?
Mayi's friends and family help her tell a lie. What do you think about this kind of support from people you love? How would you want people in your life to act if you asked them to lie for you?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : January 3, 2025
- Cast : Nombulelo Mhlongo , Yonda Thomas , Busisiwe Mtshali , Nirvana Nokwe-Mseleku
- Director : Zuko Nodada
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Director(s) , African Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , African Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s) , Black Movie Writer(s) , African Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Run time : 71 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : February 26, 2025
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