Directed by Jordy Sank
Fleas is the kind of short film that grabs you by the chest and doesn’t let go, not during its runtime, not after the credits. Directed with razor-sharp tension by Wayne Thornley, the film follows Tonderai, a young Zimbabwean boy navigating fear, responsibility, and survival in the heart of a South African township gripped by xenophobic violence.
Tonderai’s world is small, a dim shack with no water, an absent mother whose return is uncertain, and a younger brother whose weak body is slowly fading. But the fear that surrounds him is enormous. Every sound outside feels like a threat. Every knock could be the worst kind of news. When his little brother desperately begs for water, Tonderai is faced with a brutal choice.
It’s in that choice, that single walk to the communal water point, that Fleas becomes a masterclass in tension. The camera clings to Tonderai like a shadow, capturing his every breath, twitch, and glance. We’re not just watching him, we’re right there behind him, inching through alleys, dodging glances, and praying the mob won’t turn its attention toward us. The intimacy of the cinematography places us inside his fear so completely that it feels personal. It’s one of the few films that can truly make your body tense up just by showing a boy walk down a street.
What makes Fleas so powerful is not just its emotional urgency, but it’s devastating simplicity. It doesn’t try to be poetic about xenophobia. It doesn’t offer a wide political lens or a distant intellectual take. Instead, it shows us what this violence looks like from below, through the eyes of a child who just wants clean water, a safe mother, and a living brother. The horror here is that even those most basic hopes feel impossible.
The performances are stunning in their stillness. Tonderai’s eyes do most of the acting, wide, alert, and painfully innocent. Every moment with his brother feels delicate, like it could shatter. And when he finally steps out into the world, you almost want to stop the film and hold him back.
Fleas is not a comfortable watch. It’s not supposed to be. But it’s worth every moment of the anxiety it brings. In just a few minutes, it says more about xenophobia, poverty, and childhood resilience than most full-length features can manage in two hours.
You won’t leave this one feeling light. You shouldn’t. But you will leave it more awake.
Catch the film at DIFF: https://ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za/diff46/fleas/
Screening Schedule:
20 Jul 14:00 Suncoast 6
27 Jul 14:15 Watercrest 1
2 Aug 14:30 The Labia
2 Aug 14:30 The Bioscope
This review emanates from the Talent Press programme, an initiative of Talents Durban in collaboration with the Durban FilmMart Institute and FIPRESCI. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author (Gloria Nkatha) and cannot be considered as constituting an official position of the organisers.
