“Black Burns Fast” tells the story of 17-year-old Luthando, an adorkable and bookish teen who finds herself drifting between reality and her vivid inner world.
We’ve been under-served queer stories of young black women so much that when a movie as charming as “Black Burns Fast” comes along, you almost feel a little in disbelief that it exists.
“Black Burns Fast” tells the story of 17-year-old Luthando, an adorkable and bookish teen who finds herself drifting between reality and her vivid inner world. She returns for another year at a prestigious South African all-girls’ boarding school, when her world gets turned upside with the arrival of Ayanda, a bold and effortlessly magnetic new student.
The movie goes on a journey delving into not only what the coming-of-age experience looks like, but also the struggle that comes with juggling multiple identities, all while hoping to avoid rejection by her mother and schoolmates as she comes to terms with her sexuality.
You wouldn’t say that “Black Burns Fast” is a debut feature by writer-director Sandulela Asanda, because there is real emotional and narrative truth to the arc that Luthando goes on, which could easily come across as trite or stereotypical.
