Restoring your faith in Afrikaans romcoms
Mention Afrikaans comedies, and you encounter words like “common”, “vulgar” and “unstructured” more often than political parties try to form coalitions. Many people boycott local films as they have been insulted and disappointed several times before. Once bitten, (Molly en Wors, Hond se Dinges), twice shy.
They can rest assured: Dis Koue Kos, Skat, based on Marita van der Vyfer’s bestseller, has a more sophisticated and intelligent approach. So romantic comedies with sexual overtones and the occasional swear word can also be entertaining without evoking blushes of shame.
You may discover some similarities between Bad Moms, the Meryl Streep comedy It’s Complicated and this latest Afrikaans comedy, so it treads familiar, audience-friendly territory. It concerns a writer (Anna-Mart van der Merwe) who loses her husband (Deon Lotz) to a floozy. She moves to Cape Town to start a new life, but she hasn’t left her emotional baggage in Johannesburg as old neuroses, hang-ups and fear of infidelities remain.
Etienne Fourie’s direction is more subtle than pre-Hollywood In My Huis comedies. (The latter changed the Afrikaans romantic comedy genre forever in a positive way.) Just the scene where the family stops in front of their new small Cape Town house already promises a more mature, sophisticated approach.
Elzabé Zietsman is excellent as Klara’s (Anna-Mart van der Merwe) best friend. Her acid delivery of comedy lines is priceless.
Cast:
Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Deon Lotz and Elzabé Zietsman Etienne Fourie 13L
Director: Classification:
Sometimes the farcical elements tend to go overboard, and in some cases actors overact, but that is a minor gripe. If you won’t be caught dead in an Afrikaans romantic comedy, abandon your prejudices and rise from the dead! This one may restore your faith in local comedies again.