First Look: Coming-of-age South African Drama 'Grassroots'

Now Streaming

Grassroots (Multichoice Studios) follows the journey of two young Xhosa men whose passion for rugby finds them leaving the rural Eastern Cape for Johannesburg in the hopes of becoming rugby stars. The families of Monwabisi and Asanda had long had close personal and business relationships. Then, the tragic death of Monwabisi’s father on a construction site in the presence of Asanda’s father tears the families apart as suspicions of foul play come to surface. Asanda’s rugby obsession leads him to turn his back on his traditional Xhosa initiation ceremony to play a match for his school team, disappointing the traditionalist community leader.

By contrast, Monwabisi completes the initiation but feels conflicted without his father to guide him. As the boys compete for a sports scholarship and move to Johannesburg to attend St. Sebastians, a prominent private school, this new hierarchal environment tests the notion of their identity as they fight to seek acceptance from an institution that is foreign to them. The series (in Zulu, Xhosa and English with English subtitles) is richly woven with Xhosa traditions and presents a modern look at traditional culture, customs and the pressure of family expectations.