How Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa approached playing a domestic violence survivor

​Weldun Media has shared some first-look images for Four Walls, their upcoming limited series starring Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa, and it looks set to be a thrilling ride for viewers.

Announced in September, Four Walls was produced in association with the National Film & Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) and the series follows the journey of a married nurse named Grace Molotsi (Mlotshwa). 

“Grace is a woman at her wits’ end who has her house invaded by two thugs on the run from the cops after a cash-in-transit robbery gone wrong. 

“The helpless woman is taken hostage by the thugs whilst they’re planning their next move. What the men don’t know is that Grace has a secret of her own,” explained Weldun Media in a statement.

Playing Grace

“Playing Grace was incredibly fun for me as a performer. As I had the responsibility to ensure that the story of many women was told in an authentic and heartwarming manner,” explained Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa. 

“I had to ensure that every second was jam-packed with Grace thinking, feeling, walking and breathing like a woman who is experiencing the most severe kind of GBV,” added the actress. 

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“Also bringing it home and letting people into the homes of women who go through such abuse, the desperation that comes with it so they may feel some form of empathy and start conversations that lead to real change in a country ridden with painful statistics of GBV,” she concluded.

International premiere

The limited series – which is set for an international festival premiere and international run in 2022 – also stars Khulu Skenjana and Jeff Jackson as Grootman and Dice respectively (the thugs who hold Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa’s character hostage). 

According to producers, viewers can also look forward to watching Gift Leotlela, Terrence Ngwila as Lefa and Xolani, and the legendary Isaac Matseke Zulu as the Voice of Ace.

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The limited series is written and directed by Kgosana Monchusi (A Safe Bet, Opus), Juvais Dunn and Menzi Mzimela.

“We wanted to create a suspense drama that would keep viewers on the edge of their seats, but as much as this is a gripping thrill ride, the issue of gender-based violence had to be handled with the utmost sensitivity and introspection as male directors contributing to the GBV conversation, the events of the series are, therefore, uncomfortable and thought-provoking,” explained director Kgosana Monchusi. 

Premiere dates for Four Walls are set to be announced soon.

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