Unpacking Pakkies dilemma
FEW people will forget the heartrending story of Ellen Pakkies, the mother of drug-addicted son Abie. In 2007, Pakkies made headlines and gripped the attention not only of South Africans but people around the world when, driven to the edge, she took the law into her own hands and strangled her 20-year-old son.
Accused of murder, the court case that followed gripped communities – many of whom identified with the all-too-common story of a family battling with a drug-crazed child, parent or sibling. Ellen, the Ellen
Pakkies Story, is the highly anticipated movie that tells her story and it comes to local screens on Friday.
Using substantial footage from Lavender Hill where Pakkies still lives, it’s an emotional roller-coaster that digs deeply below the surface to examine the psyche of a family destroyed by the scourge of drugs.
There are no frills to the portrayal of poverty-stricken Lavender Hill or the abuse that Pakkies endured – the film’s blunt and often raw vision of how one’s world can be torn apart has already made a considerable impact overseas. Earlier this year, it was an official selection at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and was also chosen to compete at the 44th Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).
Told across two timelines pre- and post-murder, it offers a harrowing account of how Pakkies was put through the penal system, tried for murder and was driven by an unflinching love for her son.
Advocate Adrian Samuels who took on the case (played by Clint Brink) was determined to prove that Ellen Pakkies had no choice. As she testified in court, Pakkies tried everything she possibly could to help Abie… from offering compassion, making desperate attempts to reason with him before and after his bouts of drug-induced violence, to trying to get him placed in a clinic. But as she tells him, the devil was inside him when the tik took over.
Daryne Joshua, who made his debut with Noem My Skollie, directs, while Schalk-Willem Burger and Paulo Areal are the producers of what was initially a massive undertaking, taking years to conceive and complete. Amy Jephta wrote the script, with input from Pakkies who also contributed to recreating scenes for the movie.
Burger describes completing this movie: “The film was developed over a period of three years, followed by a year of production. It was a real test for everybody involved and we had a lot of setbacks, but came out stronger on the other side.
“The sad part is Ellen’s story isn’t that different from most of the people on the Flats. We went out of our way to ensure we show the viewer the real world that she lived and still lives in.”
He adds, “It is not an easy film to watch, but it’s honest. The characters become everyday people who audiences will relate to. More importantly, it’s a film that speaks to a broader audience and touches on real issues like violence in the home, abuse and drug addiction.
“Ellen is an amazing woman, and I still struggle to reconcile the person I know with the Ellen who strangled her son.”
Says executive producer Areal, “This film speaks and highlights the plight of so many who are suffering.”
Joshua comments on those involved: “Aside from the impressive team behind the movie, it also boasts a stellar cast – praise is streaming in from all corners for the actors’ outstanding performance.”
Levenberg, who appeared Noem
my Skollie and has played in popular kykNET soapie Suidooster, among many others, says the film made her realise that there are so many more women like Ellen who experience abuse and violence at the hands of their children. Levenberg adds that the film comes at a time when substance abuse, especially among young people on the Cape Flats, is escalating.
“There are so many moms such as Ellen Pakkies, and parents who have to deal every day with children who use drugs… The Cape Flats has become a neglected spot.”