NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (January 2023): Criterion have transferred Lemohang Jeremiah Mosesee's This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "2K digital master, approved by director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese". The visuals - DoP Pierre de Villiers - are so expressive from blue blanket clothing / walls to sweeping shots of terrain and the mountains - Lesotho has the highest mountains in Southern Africa. Mary Twala Mhlongo's close-ups are impressively crisp and tight. The 1.40:1 aspect ratio has intentional rounded corners visible and the HD presentation transfer is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection looks striking and impressive in 1080P.

NOTE: We have added 48 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a robust DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language. This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection has no demonstrative audio but there are some discreet separations usually relating to cultural affectations. The music though plays an important part in the film. The score is by Japanese composer Yu Miyashita which uses unique electric vibes and really compliments the poetic visual of This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection. Also used are traditional Lesotho music in the form of a lesiba (flattened quill attached to a sinew string stretched over a piece of hardwood) and, also, I think, the mamokhorong. There is also a part where Mary Twala Mhlongo's character of Mantoa does some 'ululation' - a high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl with a trilling quality. It was to celebrate her son coming home and it resembles wailing mirroring future events. It is produced by emitting a high pitched loud voice accompanied with a rapid back and forth movement of the tongue and the uvula and is kind of theremin-like. There is a haunting quality to it and all the sounds are flawless in the lossless transfer. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Mosese and producer Cait Pansegrouw. They discuss the production, casting of Mary Twala Mhlongo and Mosese goes into details of choices made and what they represent to This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection. I learned so much and it put a lot of the film in context for me. Also included in the supplements is a 1/4 hour introduction, recorded for the Criterion Collection in Berlin in the summer of 2022, where director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese discusses the creative process behind the three films included on the Blu-ray. Mosese made the narrative short film, Mosonngoa, in 2014, inspired by the real-life legend of Lesotho's only known female stick fighter. The 2016 13-minute film, Behemoth: or The Game of God, shows a preacher who walks the streets of Lesotho's capital, Maseru, dragging a mysterious coffin whose contents elicit unexpected and unscripted reactions from passersby. Lastly is the 2019 film, Mother, I Am Suffocating - part poetic essay, part documentary. Director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese analyzes the complexities of his relationship to his native country of Lesotho from his home in Berlin. It contains many of the themes he regularly explores in his cinematic work, most notably the inextricable links between land, history, and spirituality. There is a trailer for This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection and the package has a liner notes essay by novelist and playwright Zakes Mda - Black Diamond (The Africa List.)   

Lemohang Jeremiah Mosesee's This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection was the first time the Kingdom of Lesotho - roughly translating to "land of the Sotho" - had made a submission in the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film category. Mary Twala Mhlongo is somewhat of an icon of African cinema and most of This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection focuses on her. Sadly we lost here in 2020 in Johannesburg, South Africa at 80-years of age. Due to Covid-19 regulations, her funeral could be attended by no more than 50 people. Mantoa (Mary) in This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection is arranging her own funeral and settling her worldly affairs while simultaneously reacting as her homeland is being converted into a dam with the residents forcibly resettled. It juxtaposes 'tradition' from the imposition of 'progress' on the physical environment. Themes are anguish, suffering, deep-rooted culture, and resolve. I found it quite a beautiful, educational and brilliantly realized film experience. The Criterion Blu-ray offers impressive a/v of a visually striking, poetic, film - a director commentary, three of his short films and the booklet. Our highest recommendation.

Gary Tooze