“I Didn’t Manage It”: Rachel Kolisi’s *Falling Forward* Re-writes the Script on Public Fallout, Female Fortitude and the Long Walk Back to Self

Rachel Kolisi’s new film, “Falling Forward,” is a brave look at her tough journey. It shows her struggles with who she is, how she lost things, being a mom, and finding courage after her separation. The film isn’t about her marriage breaking, but about her finding herself again. It’s a powerful story of bouncing back and becoming strong, even when things are hard.

What is Rachel Kolisi’s documentary Falling Forward about?

Rachel Kolisi’s documentary, Falling Forward, is an archaeology of identity, exploring her personal struggles with identity, loss, motherhood, courage, and rebuilding after her separation. It deliberately avoids being an “autopsy of a marriage,” focusing instead on her journey of self-discovery and resilience.

Section 1 – The 59-Second Clip That Froze a Nation

Half past eight on 10 December 2024 and every South African feed stopped on the same reel: Rachel Kolisi, no make-up, barefoot on a cement stoep, hair still knotted from sleep. “I didn’t manage it,” she says, voice splintering, “and right now a slice of me feels like I failed.” No drone swoops over Lion’s Head, no charity-ball sparkle – just a phone held by a friend who forgot to switch off the wind noise. Two hours later the clip had elbowed the Springbok weekend highlights out of top spot; by supper #FallingForward was trending above load-shedding jokes and year-end outfit inspo.

The country is used to seeing her as the ever-upbeat curator of blended-family bliss, multicultural fairy-tales and #CoupleGoals cash-ins. Suddenly the same woman was staring down the barrel of her own unravelling, admitting the storyline had gutted her. Comment sections blew up with crying emojis and marriage metaphors, but the real jolt was simpler: a public heroine had confessed that the armour chafed, that the cost of looking unbreakable was, in fact, a splintering self.

Director Zandile Tshabalala insists the teaser was never engineered to market scandal. “We wanted to test the temperature of honesty,” she laughs. “Turns out the nation was feverish for it.” The clip now functions as the documentary’s cold open: no title card, no backing track, just that gust of raw confession before the frame cuts to black.

Section 2 – Excavating the Self, Not the Marriage

A one-page brief handed to lifestyle editors shouts in bold italics: “This is not an autopsy of a marriage; it’s an archaeology of identity.” October 2024’s separation announcement is treated as a calendar marker, not a plot pivot. The five guiding pillars are Identity, Loss, Motherhood, Courage, Re-build – each explored out of sequence, mirroring the way memory actually arrives.

In a chapter labelled “The Carpenter’s Daughter,” Rachel unlocks a dusty Gqeberha store-room and pulls out Grade-2 reports praising her for “helping classmates finish tasks while her own remain half-done.” She half laughs, half flinches: over-functioning was stitched into her before she could spell the word. Nearby, the camera lingers on a stack of yellowing newspapers branding her “the nation’s lucky charm,” evidence of how early the external chorus wrote its own verses over her body.

Editorially, Siya appears once – boxes balanced on his shoulder – yet he is never interviewed. The rule was hard-baked: any male voice enters only in group contexts where the focus stays on shared learning, not on the estranged husband’s tally of sins. It’s a deliberate swerve from the usual divorce-docie template that interrogates the man until the woman becomes a sidebar in her own heartbreak.

Section 3 – The Price of Resilience, the Currency of Collapse

Cell-phone archives supply a frantic montage: Rachel coordinating a Mayfair school-feeding drive, breastfeeding in a Land Cruiser, fielding calls about a Springbok hamstring, reminding a volunteer not to forget the peanut-butter sandwiches. The footage freezes on a WhatsApp voice note gushing, “Super-mom, I don’t know how you juggle it all!” Smash-cut to present-day therapy couch: “I used to Google hospital check-in prices – just to sleep.” Viewers feel the choke because they’ve sent or received that same super-woman text.

Black-tax, daughter-tax, wife-tax, fame-tax – every surcharge compounds until the ledger reads zero Rachel. Director Tshabalala overlays a silent animation: coins dropping out of a digital purse labelled “Emotional Reserve,” ending in negative red. No voice-over moralises; the graphic alone indicts a culture that cashes in on women’s invisible labour.

Economists tracking early focus-group feedback note a side-effect: young professionals are renegotiating domestic labour contracts with partners before weddings even reach the budget-spreadsheet stage. One Stellenbosch MBA student posted, “If Rachel Kolisi can bankrupt herself on yeses, what chance do I have? Rewriting my boundaries tonight.”

Section 4 – Cartography of a Fall, Atlas for a Rise

A 2026 national roadshow hijacks the traditional celebrity tour: twelve towns, three-day micro-festivals, zero ticket profit. Day one is a lekgotla-style story-circle capped at sixty women, phones surrendered at the door. Day two converts the town hall into a market – no stall fees, free childcare, a “quiet tent” staffed by lactation consultants and trauma counsellors. Day three ends on the nearest ridge at sunrise with collective breath-work led by indigenous knowledge keepers who once guided women’s migrations.

Shanduka Black Umbrellas backs a parallel incubator. To qualify, applicants must narrate a personal or business fall and the resource that helped them stand. Winners pocket R20 000 and guaranteed shelf-space at the roadshow market. The insight is radical: collapse can become collateral if properly valued, a direct rebuttal to hustle culture that fetishises seamless ascent.

An unreleased 12-minute epilogue was filmed in the Robben Island limestone quarry at winter solstice dawn. Rachel and former political prisoner Mama Thenjiwe Mtintso discuss polishing the very stones that bruise them. The file will be deleted in front of the last live audience, a ritual assertion that some knowledge lives only in communal memory, never in the cloud. No stream, no leak, no second take – just a shipping-container screen, a thousand witnesses, and the choice to carry the story forward without a safety reel.

What is Rachel Kolisi’s documentary Falling Forward about?

Rachel Kolisi’s documentary, Falling Forward, is an archaeology of identity, exploring her personal struggles with identity, loss, motherhood, courage, and rebuilding after her separation. It deliberately avoids being an “autopsy of a marriage,” focusing instead on her journey of self-discovery and resilience.

When did the Falling Forward teaser clip go viral?

The teaser clip for Falling Forward went viral on December 10, 2024, at half past eight. Within two hours, it had surpassed Springbok weekend highlights in trending topics, and by supper, #FallingForward was trending above load-shedding jokes and year-end outfit inspiration in South Africa.

What is the central focus of Falling Forward regarding Rachel Kolisi’s separation?

The film’s central focus is on Rachel Kolisi finding herself again and her journey of self-discovery, rather than dissecting the reasons behind her separation. It is explicitly stated that the documentary is “not an autopsy of a marriage; it’s an archaeology of identity.”

How does the documentary address Rachel Kolisi’s husband, Siya?

Siya Kolisi appears only once in the documentary, seen carrying boxes, and is never interviewed. The editorial rule for the film was to include male voices only in group contexts, ensuring the focus remains on shared learning and not on the estranged husband’s narrative or a typical divorce-documentary format.

How does Falling Forward challenge the ‘super-woman’ narrative?

The documentary uses Rachel’s personal archives, showing her juggling numerous responsibilities, juxtaposed with her present-day therapy sessions where she admits to struggling. It highlights the toll of societal expectations on women, such as ‘black-tax,’ ‘daughter-tax,’ ‘wife-tax,’ and ‘fame-tax,’ ultimately showing the personal cost of being a ‘super-mom.’

What is the ‘Falling Forward’ national roadshow and its purpose?

The ‘Falling Forward’ national roadshow is a unique, non-profit tour visiting twelve towns, featuring three-day micro-festivals. It includes story-circles for women, local markets, and a “quiet tent” with support services. The initiative, backed by Shanduka Black Umbrellas, also offers an incubator program for those who have experienced a ‘fall’ and found a way to rise, aiming to reframe collapse as valuable collateral rather than something to be hidden.