Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Jewel’ on Netflix, A South African Film About Racial Tensions Tearing Love Apart

Against the backdrop of another horrific tragedy that isn’t taught in Western history books in which Black Africans were slaughtered by white South Africans, this love story seeks to look past race and forgive those who have wronged us. Does Jewel make the case for ultimate forgiveness?

JEWEL: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: In Sharpeville in South Africa, a town that has been marred by a ruthless massacre in the 1960s, white tourists often arrive in town with their cameras in tow. One tourist, Tyra (Michelle Botes) takes to a local named Siya (Nqobile Khumalo) and requests her to be her tour guide. The two become close and secretly fall in love, and when Siya’s boyfriend Tshepo (Sandile Mahlangu) finds out, he seeks revenge — not just for Siya’s infidelity but because of Tyra’s skin color.

What Will It Remind You Of?: In some ways, the film plays out like the first half of 2019’s Waves, with a boyfriend acting out of jealousy towards his girlfriend. The only problem is Jewel doesn’t have another half to redeem its characters.

Performance Worth Watching: Connie Chiume who plays Siya’s grandmother is a highlight with her cracking wit and wise advice. It’s no surprise she’s magnetic — she’s also been in Black Panther and Beyonce’s Black Is King.

Memorable Dialogue: A conversation early on in the film between Tyra and another white tourist illuminates the distressed history between white and black South Africans. “Why are you here?” Tyra asks him. He responds, “White guilt, what else?”

Sex and Skin: Siya and her boyfriend Tshepo have sex, but intimate body parts aren’t shown.

Our Take: On paper, this film seems to be about two women from different walks of life who find common ground that leads them to love. But in reality, the film is more focused on a man’s inability to let go, his feelings of ownership over the women in his life, and the lengths to which he will go to secure their honor. Tshepo’s jealous turn reveals a bout of toxic masculinity at work, and it undermines whatever the film was trying to say about Tyra and Siya’s forbidden love story. His anger also reaches far beyond just that of Tyra and his actions reveal him to be more cruel than anything, and it quickly distracts from any sympathy you may have had for him earlier in the film.

On top of that, Tyra and Siya’s love story doesn’t feel fully formed. There’s an initial attraction and a few meetings (including one sensual dance club scene), but we don’t really see them get to know one another or learn intimate details about their lives. Without that strong foundation, the film doesn’t have the emotional balance to withstand the jealous actions of Tshepo.

At the end of it all, it seems like the film didn’t really know what it wanted to say. There are some great dialogues about why no one bats an eye when Black people are massacred that really help to ground Tshepo’s anger. On the other side, there are also interesting thoughts about karma and forgiveness. The two ideas live side by side but don’t seem to be in conversation with one another, and it’s a detriment to the film’s overall message.

Our Call: SKIP IT. Though there are some interesting ideas about race and forgiveness at play, the film doesn’t tie the knot on the message.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, Paste Magazine, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.