Little One

Darrell Roodt : 2012
Umfaan

In a field near a township in Johannesburg, a middle-aged mother makes a gruesome discovery: a little girl has been left for dead. Rushing her to the hospital, Pauline saves her life. But her life has been changed forever. Six-year-old Vuyelwa has been raped and her face badly beaten. She remains silent and unresponsive to all except the big-hearted woman who saved her. No one comes forward to claim her. The identity of her abusers and the whereabouts of her parents remain a mystery. Little One becomes yet another statistic in a country where one in every three girls under the age of 21 are victims of rape. But to Pauline, Vuyelwa is not a statistic – she's a survivor. She visits her daily. To help her cope with the shame and disfigurement, Pauline knits the girl a mask to cover her face. And under that mask, the little girl begins to smile. And so does Pauline – the girl has become like a daughter to her. Abandoned by her parents, she refuses to allow the child to be lost in the system. So when her attempt to adopt her is denied, Pauline takes matters into her own hands. After all, love is not a crime.