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Black Mambas Review

By Dave Griffiths @goodbaduglyshow · On June 13, 2022

THE GIST

Looks at the lives of three young women who join the elite Black Mambas squad in South Africa.

THE REVIEW

Being an active wildlife warrior myself this was one documentary that I didn’t want to miss at this year’s Sydney Film Festival. I first became aware of the Black Mambas and the work that they do several years ago in another doco but sadly back then they were only just mentioned. Luckily Black Mambas doesn’t do the same and instead explores the important work that these brave women do.

For the unaware the Black Mambas are a highly trained team of ‘security guards’ that are hired to patrol and protect the animals of the Greater Krueger National Park in South Africa. The Mambas main role is to make sure that neither hunters or poachers can make their way into the National Park and kill or harm any of the animals that call it home. What makes this crack squad even more intriguing is the fact that is made up of solely of women.

Directed by Lena Karbe (Chinese Dream) Black Mambas doesn’t just celebrate the fine work that this team do it goes deeper than that and not only shows the hard training they are put through but also explores the lifestyle change that the women who make up the Mambas go through to take on the job.

The area around the National Park is crippled with poverty and it was quite a wakeup call for me to watch this doco and learn how becoming a Mamba changes these women’s lives. Often the women find that their families don’t want them to do the job because it is dangerous and also some people with rather extreme views see them as going against their own culture as they stop traditional hunters from getting access to animals for food.

In fact that is one of the most memorable moments that Karbe manages to capture with the film. Many directors would solely keep the focus of this doco to the bravery of the Mambas but Karbe goes away from that at one stage and actually interviews a hunter who feels that the Mambas are one of the reasons why his family goes hungry. He eloquently puts it by saying “God provided these animals for our food and it is my right to hunt them.”

It is moments like that throughout the doco that made me stop and think about what is really happening here and likewise I found myself drawn into the film as Karbe showed the home-life of one of the Mambas who has a husband who seems to have taken on an element of laziness due to the fact that his wife an support him with her wage. Nonetheless this is a doco that allows its audience the opportunity to get a good look into the lifestyle of the Mambas and Karbe shows maturity as a director by showing the audience both the positives and negatives of that lifestyle.

THE VERDICT

Black Mambas is well worth a look if you are interested in docos about animal welfare and about strong women who have overcome the environment around them to empower themselves.

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Related

Black Mambas Review
Dave Griffiths
June 13, 2022
3.5/10
3.5 Overall Score

Black MambasLena Karbe
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Dave Griffiths

Dave Griffiths has worked as a journalist for over twenty years now -covering topics including film, television, music, travel and sport (with a main focus on AFL Football). That time has seen him host the popular X-Wired television program for seven seasons as well as write for various magazines such as Buzz Magazine, Heavy Mag, Stage Whispers, The Banner and Eternity.. He has even branched out into writing online for Subculture Entertainment, Media Search and The Book The Film The T-Shirt. He also worked as the online editor for Entertainment 360 for three years. Dave's radio work has seen him work on various radio stations including 3RPP, Triple R and Light FM. He is currently the resident film reviewer on Sydney's 2UE radio station and can be heard reviewing what is new at cinemas and on DVD each week on Wednesdays at 3pm with Ed Phillips. He is also the co-host of Melbourne's 94.1FM's breakfast show 'The Motley Crew' and he can sometimes be heard on J-Air's 'First On Film'. David is also the co-host of two popular podcasts - ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Film Show,' and 'The Popcorn Conspiracy' As far as Film Reviewing goes David is an elected committee member of AFCA (Australian Film Critics Association and a member of IPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics)/FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique). He has also served as a jury member for a number of international film festivals and is considered an expert on cult cinema, horror movies and Australian films.

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