Set in a small South African town, The Road to Mecca follows eccentric aging widow Miss Helen (based on artist Helen Martins), who fills her house and overgrown garden with life-sized sculptures and statues that represent a fantasy pilgramige to Mecca. Spurned by neighbors who think her crazy, the artist is compelled to keep at her solitary work, which not only transforms her world into a magical paradise, but creates a testament to artistic freedom in the midst of repression and political turbulence. A struggle ensues as a young schoolteacher advocates for the aging artist, while a conservative pastor friend insists that Miss Helen is declining and for her own sake should be moved away from her beloved refuge.
Set in a small South African town, The Road to Mecca follows eccentric aging widow Miss Helen (based on artist Helen Martins), who fills her house and overgrown garden with life-sized sculptures and statues that represent a fantasy pilgramige to Mecca. Spurned by neighbors who think her crazy, the artist is compelled to keep at her solitary work, which not only transforms her world into a magical paradise, but creates a testament to artistic freedom in the midst of repression and political turbulence. A struggle ensues as a young schoolteacher advocates for the aging artist, while a conservative pastor friend insists that Miss Helen is declining and for her own sake should be moved away from her beloved refuge.
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