A woman is pushed to her emotional breaking point when an act of violence compromises the health of her son in this drama from South Africa. Shirley Adams (Denise Newman) is a middle-aged woman who has a grown son, Donovan (Keenan Arrison). Donovan is living on his own until he's caught in the crossfire of a shooting and ends up paralyzed from the neck down. Unable to care for himself and with no one else to look after him, Donovan ends up back at home, where Shirley finds herself once again attending to all her son's needs. This turn of events is too much for Donovan's father, and he leaves Shirley a few months after Donovan's accident. Defiantly proud Shirley believes she can care for her son on her own, but with Donovan needing her help nearly all day long, she's forced to quit her job, and before long she runs out of money. While Shirley's neighbor Kariema (Theresa Sedras) sometimes lends a hand, a volunteer therapist (Emily Child) seems to create more problems than she solves, and Shirley eventually resorts to shoplifting in order to feed herself and her son. Shirley Adams was the first feature film from writer and director Oliver Hermanus.
by Mark Deming
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