The Fix – This movie might just be the “fix” you need

Egan elaborates on her idea:
“I was curious about how much our perception of the world is influenced by how we’re treated, and how much is shaped by our appearance. I wanted to explore these ideas through the transformation of a girl who feels her looks are the only thing she’s ever been accepted or acknowledged for. But when she goes through this traumatic physical transformation (mutation), she has to figure out who she is outside of all that… and learn what matters to her more than how she’s perceived by the world.”

Because Egan has worked in the industry as a stuntwoman (including on films like Mad Max: Fury Road), she personally choreographed the fight scenes alongside Matthew Van Leeve and Russ McCarroll.

As a viewer (and reviewer), I’ll admit I had to watch the film twice before I felt I had a proper grasp on it. At first, I thought the first half-hour dragged and that the real action only began after that — and then it moves at a breakneck pace. Secondly, the music in the club scenes was a bit much for me — almost overwhelming — but perhaps I’m just no longer used to what’s played in clubs these days. On the second viewing, though, I felt differently and appreciated the entire production more. It’s easy to feel like there are too many characters and too little time for proper development, and it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who — but the main characters stood out clearly from the start.

The actors portrayed their roles convincingly. I was especially impressed with the South African actors. I was also pleasantly surprised by the fantastic makeup and mutation effects, as well as the other special effects.

For Egan, the deeper message of the film is this:
“We know we’re harming the planet. We know we’re doing damage. We know the choices we make will have long-term impacts on future generations. And yet, as a species, we are consistently resistant to change. It’s almost our Achilles’ heel. That’s one of the themes I wanted to explore with this film and Ella’s transformation.”
As Spider says in the trailer: “Either we change, or we die.”

If you want to see Cape Town in a completely different light, and be reminded that we don’t need to take a back seat on the international film stage, definitely give The Fix a watch.