Online Reporter
Mthabisi Tshuma [email protected]
A NEW feature film titled Widower is set for release soon, promising a powerful exploration of grief, the tension between modern medicine and spiritual faith, and the destructive weight of hidden family secrets.
The film brings together a strong cast, with Malcom played by Praise Murenje, Theresa by Omega Chika, Rebecca by Lamia C Muza, Mary by Munashe R Goromonzi, Mr Dhudhu by Mapfumo Katsaya, Tendai by Joice Dutuma, Maidei by Cecilia Simeon, Fiona by Felistous Tizola, and Simba by Samuel Gondongwe.
Behind the scenes, the production team is led by Oscar Lwalwe as executive producer and writer, with Portia R Chasi serving as producer. The technical team includes Forward Musamba as director of photography and director, Prosper Seva as assistant director and set designer, Wendy Phiri as script supervisor and continuity lead, Dadiso Totohwiyo handling makeup and special effects, Marian Bwititi as costume designer, and Clinton Placeqqq as lighting technician and on-set sound recordist.
Producer Chasi said the Chitungwiza-shot film draws from human experiences centred on love, loss and emotional suffering.
“The story was inspired by several life events. The writer witnessed a close friend who lost his wife at a young age, and society expected him to move on quickly simply because he is a man,” she said.
“It’s also inspired by the Shona folktale song Tauya kuzoona Mary, where the ghost of Mary appears to still live among the living, creating fear and mystery. This film gives voice to men who are often not understood when they are in pain. The first part has already been shot, and the second part will follow soon,” said Chasi.
According to the synopsis, the story opens in the impeccably clean but emotionally empty home of Malcom, a young civil engineer struggling to cope with the death of his wife Mary and their unborn child a year earlier.
“Malcom is trapped in a cycle of self-reproach, blaming Mary’s refusal to undergo medical treatment for her cancer, choosing instead to rely on faith healers,” said Chasi.
His mother, Theresa, attempts to push him toward acceptance, though her behaviour is increasingly unstable and suspicious. She fiercely defends Mary’s spiritual beliefs, despite Malcom’s recollection that she was never fully accepted by the family.
Tension escalates when Malcom visits Mary’s parents, Simba and Fiona Ndhlovu, who urge him to move on. Simba even suggests Rebecca, a local woman with a questionable reputation, as a potential partner—an idea that deeply unsettles Malcom and fuels conflict within the family.
Chasi said while Malcom battles external pressure to move forward, Theresa is quietly unraveling.
“She is plagued by terrifying, silent nightmares of Mary, leading her to mutter frantic promises of ‘confession’ in her sleep. Her husband, Dhudhu, senses her growing instability but avoids confronting the root of her distress,” she said.
Theresa’s guilt is also tied to her work at a pharmacy. In a chilling turn, she provides Malcom with unlabelled, expired capsules stolen from her workplace to help him sleep. Her knowledge of toxic, expired substances, some linked to serious illness, becomes a central thread in the unfolding mystery.
