Local movie rakes in the cash

Koos Roets’s new Afrikaans movie, ’n Pawpaw vir my Darling has earned R1.1 million rand after only five days on the local film circuit and has been seen by approximately 22 000 people.

The film, which is based on Jeanne Goosen’s novel and that tells the story of the Beeslaer family of 24 Frik du Preez Street in Damnville, is charming audiences with its unique humour.

In the movie, Vleis and Soufie Beeslaer try to keep their heads above water while dealing a with a small income, a daughter who threatens to leave for Hollywood, trouble with the neighbours, a grandmother who lives in a caravan in the backyard and Vleis’s mom who frequently shows up at their home with her latest boyfriend – and that’s the least of their worries.

Koos, who wrote and directed the film, says of the movie’s success: “From the beginning I was convinced that our audiences shouldn’t be underestimated, that our viewers have reached a level of maturity where they’ll definitely be open for ’n Pawpaw vir my Darling’s story, that they’ll appreciate its honesty and will have understanding of and empathy with the characters.

“I firmly believe it’s a film to which South African audiences will open their hearts and minds, that they’ll laugh, but that there will also be moments where they’ll think and perhaps even shed a tear or two… and for a while after the film, the characters of 24 Frik du Preez Street, Damnville, won’t leave their hearts.”

Well-known actors such as Deon Lotz, Deirdre Wolhuter, Brümilda van Rensburg, Willie Esterhuizen, Lida Botha, Marga van Rooy, Marcel van Heerden and Hannes Brümmer are part of the cast, but it is the Beeslaers’s dog, Tsjaka (played by Zeus and voiced by Tobie Cronjé) who shares the family’s happiness and pain with the audience.

André Scholtz, producer of the film, says: “I am very happy with the turnout, but especially with the reactions from the viewers. (It’s) … often a tricky thing… but it seems as if it’s had a refreshing effect on them. All honour to Jean, Koos and the actors.”

Watch trailer: