Movie Night: The Umbrella Men

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To rescue their iconic, debt-ridden Bo Kaap venue, a motley crew of musicians orchestrates a high-stakes bank robbery amidst the colorful frenzy of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival.

Year of Release:	2022
Genres:	Crime, Comedy
Languages:	English, Afrikaans
Running time	1h 45m
Director:	John Barker
Writers:	John Barker, Philip Roberts, Lev David
Cast:	Jaques De Silva Shamilla Miller Keenan Arrison June van Merch Abduragman Adams Joey Rasdien Dann Jaques Mouton

Homecomings aren’t always sweet. When Jerome Adams returns to Cape Town for his father’s funeral, he walks straight into a crisis. The family’s beloved Goema Club is about to be repossessed, and the only way out is to do something completely reckless. Jerome and his friends plan a bank heist right in the middle of the city’s biggest event—the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival parade. With thousands of spectators, music echoing through the streets, and costumed performers everywhere, they have the perfect cover. But pulling off a heist isn’t the hard part—getting away with it is.

Reviews for the Umbrella Men

“A surprise blast, The Umbrella Men embraces the heist genre and all its quirks. The cast gets its opportunities to be flash charisma and tell jokes. Barker displays a visual flare, and brings a specific experience to life.” — Sunshine State Cineplex

“With a balanced set of characters that explores their struggles, their individuality becomes an integral part of the movie. Jerome’s inheritance and debt from his father is a problem that he never wanted to have and yet, he is burdened with it. Even when the movie doesn’t get into the gritty details of his father’s debt, the urgency to pay it off is present. There is a sense of familiarity and kinship between Mortimer’s getting out of jail 10 years later. These selections of humane stories bring a fresh perspective to the heist genre, which has never been done before.” — Nuha Hassan, writing for Medium.

“The Umbrella Men is a self-assured feature from all parties involved. The performances are charming, with enough nuance that the film is able to lift itself to a smart comedy. However, some of the charm wears off as the film approaches its final moments.” — Beyond The Cinema Dome.