???? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

Scatterlings tells the story of the breakup of the van Zijl family, after the Immorality Act, which criminalized interracial relationships, was passed in South Africa. Set in Cape Town in 1927, the fictional story follows Alisa van Zijl (née Miller) — a Black Jamaican woman who was adopted by a white British couple — her white husband, Abram van Zijl, and their daughters, Dido and Emilia. The newly passed Immorality Act essentially criminalizes the couple’s relationship and their daughters are now evidence of the illegal union. Those in violation of the new law face imprisonment — up to five years for men and four for women. At first, the couple seems unsure about whether this new law applies to them, given the privileges their economic status had previously afforded them, but when officials show up at the girls’ school and begin asking questions, Alisa’s worst fear is realized: She and her daughters now no longer belong in their home. In a moment of desperation, she takes matters into her own hands which leads to devastating consequences.