Mona Monyane and Clementine Mosimane dive into the heartfelt chaos of motherhood in 'Sabbatical'

Karabo Lediga's directorial debut, "Sabbatical", is a bittersweet mother-daughter drama. It explores profound themes of family roots, ambition, integrity, deception, and loyalty. If you haven't seen it yet on the big screen, it is highly recommended.

The film benefits greatly from the exceptional performances of Mona Monyane as Lesego and Clementine Mosimane as her mother, Dorris, a truly remarkable pairing.

I had the pleasure of a tête-à-tête with the actresses, who have developed a strong offscreen bond, marked by their noticeable warmth towards one another and praiseworthy comments. 

It was truly heartening to witness, especially since this is the first time they have worked with one another.

Mosimane shared: It was delicious working together, and I think it's because we were giving each other the space to deal with the emotions of our characters. 

“Also, as actors, the understanding, the mutual respect, the love for the craft, because it's not about us, it's about the craft and the characters, so that when they come to life, they are so authentic and realistic, that was very important to us.”

Monyane added: “I agree, mutual respect. And we found a lot of similarities in our approach. So I think it's much easier when you're acting alongside someone who takes things as seriously as you do and appreciates the opportunity to tell a story. 

“We came in giving our hearts, giving our minds, and it translated. It’s been an honour as somebody who has watched this phenomenal woman (casting her gaze over at Mosimane) growing up.

Suffice it to say, they nailed the dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship. 

Most of the scenes play out in a Pretoria township. The charm of the story is its relatability, which is underpinned by a strong sense of community, bustling ekasi atmosphere and close-knit bonds. 

The premise centres on Lesego, a high-flying corporate climber on the cusp of a promotion to CEO at LouwFin. Her life takes a tumultuous turn when she becomes entangled in a financial scandal involving the misappropriation of a miners' pension fund.

As such, she retreats to her childhood home, where she is forced to face the harsh reality of her career being over while being abandoned by so-called friends.

She also has to deal with disappointing her mother and the ghosts she’s been running from since leaving for the big city, where her opulent lifestyle left little room for family or friends from back home.

While dealing with financial ruin as her accounts have been frozen, she dodges the calls from Percy Mthimkhulu (Loyiso Gola), the tenacious investigator on the case.

Reflecting on her first impression of the script, Monyane shared: “I was like, I know this woman. I didn't have to feel as if I had to create her. I knew her. I had been through a sabbatical. I had been through losing everything that you work hard for.

"So it was very exciting to read a piece that spoke to the human condition and that personalised it in such a beautiful way.

“It was also exciting to see the challenges because a lot of it is non-verbal. A lot of it is showing the emotion, the thought process of the character, rather than saying it. So I loved it from the script, and even in the audition, it was just so real for me.”

Her veteran co-star added: “I might not have been through it physically, but emotionally, yes, because we have grown up in black townships, in black families, and when I read the script, I got so hooked, as this is what our society needs.

“It is not that a copy and paste thing where everybody is going for the same thing. You could see that it's got depth. It is meaty. There is this emotional journey that most of us are going through, and that we are so scared to confront …”

Aside from singing the praises of the director, who also penned the script, the actresses both agreed that the scene they loved most was a bathroom scene with a traditional onion sack. 

Monyane shared: “It was really in that moment when they had the most important conversation as mother and daughter without using any words, and yet everything that needed to be said was said in that scene. It took me to my relationship with my mother and made me realise so many things about her that maybe I overlooked.”

Mosimane added, “That scene unpacks so many things. It’s saying forgive me, it's saying I love you, it's saying I miss you, back.”

The director had this to say…

If the name sounds familiar, she is Kagiso Lediga’s sister. He is a producer on the film

On the inspiration for the story, Karabo revealed: “ I've always found my relationship with my mom, who's quite a huge character in my life, quirky, funny. There's a constant conflict, but there's also a lot of humour between the two of us; kind of a typical mother and daughter relationship in this country, on this continent, at this time.

“She's a huge influence on my life, and I've always thought how interesting it could be to write a narrative around that sort of relationship.”