From Dust We Spin is a documentary film directed by Julia Jansch and produced by Sheena-Lee Hendricks. The camera follows a young woman named Logan who discovers a passion for street racing in the working-class neighbourhoods of the Cape Flats. After a suicide attempt, Logan throws herself into exploring car spinning to gain a new perspective on life. The documentary shows how a sport like this can be a source of resilience in the face of the violence that life sometimes imposes on us. The film features shots of the Cape Flats that reveal the poverty and violence caused by various gang clans. The physical environment conveys a sense of despair, depression, and difficult living conditions. It is precisely these circumstances that led to young Logan’s suicide attempt. There is also an electric atmosphere where you can immediately sense the roar of race cars and the smoke billowing from exhaust pipes—a reflection of the underground scene. Our environment inevitably shapes our behaviour, our way of thinking, and sometimes our choices—and even our tastes. Logan, with her fragility, finds solace in this dangerous, predominantly male-dominated sport. In her direction, Julia chooses to stay true to reality, allowing the viewer to feel the raw edge of this world and the raw intensity of the cars racing at full speed on the track. The director and her cinematographer, Jacques Naudé, use family scenes and moments of doubt to convey Logan’s sense of suffocation. Her mother’s worried gaze traps her in a sort of protective prison. On the other hand, the moment Logan is on the track and the cars are racing around her creates a sense of power and freedom within her. Also, the camera shots from inside the car, with the driver clinging to the vehicle, convey a sense of excitement and are visually striking. Furthermore, Logan’s control over her own life is an essential element of the film.

The protagonist was initially overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness that had led her to attempt suicide. However, the young woman regained control of her life by channelling that sense of power into the technical skill of making a car spin out on a track. The art of spinning requires a certain ease and self-control to practice this sport. By putting in this effort, Logan regains control over her destiny, which was sliding toward chaos. Similarly, this control represents a reclaiming of her body and mind. Indeed, this mastery becomes a form of therapy in the wake of her suicide attempt. At the same time, practising this sport gives her control over her social life. Participating in sports in general—and spinning in particular—allows them to socialise, learn from others, and build a community. This environment fosters social growth. Learning and respecting the rules of sports helps structure her life in an environment prone to gang activity. This sense of control allows Logan to transition from the role of victim to that of an active participant and master of her own life. However, the conflict in the documentary exists on multiple levels. It is, in fact, the film’s central struggle, as it is both personal and political.

Logan is experiencing an internal conflict—one between herself and her inner self. On the one hand, the documentary highlights this struggle against her own frustrations and trauma—a relentless battle to avoid falling back into depression. Spinning then becomes the means through which she can heal. On the other hand, it highlights the persistent stereotype—and even the perception of underground culture—as dangerous and contemptible. Often, authorities do not attempt to understand this phenomenon and prefer to judge it from a distance. This is the case, for example, in the documentary series Saveur Bitume by director Adrien Pavillard, which highlights the role of rap as a means of revealing the realities of working-class neighbourhoods. In this documentary series, we saw how the authorities labelled this movement as rebellious and delinquent. Sometimes these are places where young people assert their right to exist and to express themselves culturally. This is part of what we call urban cultures.

Furthermore, living in areas like the Cape Flats also involves territorial conflict. Growing up in environments where violence is a constant presence means being on guard at all times. Consequently, for Logan, becoming a spinner provides a foundation on which she can build to earn respect and, in turn, regain a deep sense of self-worth.

This review is part of the Talent Press program, an initiative of Talents Durban in collaboration with the Durban FilmMart Institute and FIPRESCI. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author (Neya Harouna) and should not be considered to reflect the official position of the organisers.