How Long Is “Max and Mona”?

A bright young man from a remote South African farming village finds his quest to become a physician thrown into question in director Teddy Mattera's thoughtful African drama. Max (Mpho Lovinga) is a man who lives in a remote village and is respected by his friends and neighbors for his remarkable talent for mourning -- which he inherited from his beloved grandfather. Realizing that Max is meant for something more in life, the villagers all take up a collection in order to send the young man to medical school in Johannesburg. Though all seems well, as aspiring doctor Max sets out for the city in the company of a goat that he was to deliver for a wedding feast, events quickly take a turn for the worse when the villagers realize that they have mistakenly given Max a sacred animal. Later, after finding love in the arms of the beautiful Nozipho (Thumi Melamu), the aspiring medico misses the registration deadline and is left with no other choice than to seek out the aid of his notorious uncle Norman (Jerry Mofokeng). A constant schemer who plots to use Max's tuition money to get a local gangster named Razor off of his back, Norman eventually convinces Max that his unique ability to manufacture tears could earn the pair a steady paycheck in a city where people have forgotten how to cry. While Max reluctantly agrees to use his gift to turn a profit, he later finds that his well has run dry when the time comes for sincere mourning.