Trailer: A Desperate Mother Is Pushed to the Limit in Akin Omotoso’s South African Netflix Thriller ‘Marked’

What happens when a mother is pushed to the limit? That’s the fate of Babalwa, a devout ex-cop and cash-in-transit security guard, in Netflix’s new South African heist thriller series Marked, premiering on 31 July. A dedicated worker, loving wife and mother, Babalwa’s world is turned upside down when she receives devastating news: not only does her daughter have a life-threatening illness but she requires expensive surgery – money she clearly doesn’t have.

Fuelled by love and desperation, she turns to a last resort: a dangerous heist. The official synopsis reads: Desperate to pay for her daughter’s life-saving surgery, devout ex-cop Babalwa turns to an unholy saviour to help her stage a daring heist.

Led by Lerato Mvelase (Justice Served) as Babalwa, Marked also stars Blood & Water’s Ama Qamata as her daughter, Bonko Khoza (Red Ink), S’dumo Mtshali (iNumber Number), Sphamandla Dhludhlu (The River), Desmond Dube (How to Ruin Christmas), Jabulani Mthembu (Shaka iLembe), Mduduzi Mabaso (Blood Legacy), Jerry Mofokeng (Mabasa Family Reunion: The Funeral), Natasha Thahane (Blood & Water), and Pheello Kotelo (The Brave Ones).

The six-part series is directed by Akin Omotoso (Rise, Vaya), Matshepo Maja (Savage Beauty), and Jono Hall, and produced by Quizzical Pictures – the studio behind Netflix’s Savage Beauty and A Soweto Love Story, and M-Net’s Emmy-nominated series Reyka and White Lies.

Marked continues Netflix’s gradual but consistent rollout of South African titles at a time when the global streamer has noticeably scaled back on African content. In June, Netflix released the third season of Kings of Jo’Burg – now veering more into the supernatural than crime – after two years. Before that, there was the second season of the Turkish adaptation Unseen. Other South African titles released so far this year include comedies Meet the Khumalos and Semi-Soeter, sports drama Soccer Season: Playmaker, Afrikaans drama series Tuiskoms and GO!, a six-part drama that follows a young runner who’s given a second chance at life when he’s offered a scholarship.

The series also comes at a time when Netflix has just hiked its subscription prices in South Africa by almost 20% – the second since the streamer entered the country in 2016.

Watched Marked trailer below.

Update: Marked is now streaming on Netflix.

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