Ander Mens review – Fresh and funny black comedy

Danie Niemand is a sad sack-type of character with no backbone and no personality – and actor Bennie Fourie plays him with aplomb.

He ekes out a living as an accountant for a notorious Cape Town crime syndicate, headed by the seedy Frank (Frank Opperman), but is too stupid to understand the true nature of Frank’s business.

Niemand’s wife is having a torrid affair with their marriage counsellor, but this hapless accountant is totally unaware of this until she says she’s leaving him. He carries on with his humdrum life.

Ander Mens. Picture: Marche Media

Things change dramatically when crime boss Frank instructs him to be a man and confront this narcissistic counsellor – but things go horribly wrong in the process.

The narrative then enters dark territory in which a murder occurs and the unfortunate Niemand, who knows the real murderer and has told the cops, is placed in a witness protection programme because he fears for his life.

The catalyst in his mental transformation comes in the form of an attractive cop named Erica Kruger, played by an aggressive, but beautifully toned Marlee van der Merwe. Her task is to hide Niemand at her mountain retreat, away from his former boss, Frank, who is plotting to kill him.

Quentin Krog has produced a wry Afrikaans comedy. Based on Zirk van den Berg’s novel, the movie is a commendable addition to the Afrikaans movie genre and rises well above the norm in its style and execution.

Ander Mens. Picture: Marche Media

It boasts a number of Quentin Tarentino-type, off-the-wall moments, especially when the dim-witted Niemand begins to find his feet and exert some control over his dreary existence.

Silliness pervades the movie in many instances, but Ander Mens is fresh and funny and is entertaining within its own black comic parameters.

Info

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Cast: Bennie Fourie, Marlee van der Merwe, Frank Opperman, James Borthwick, Laudo Liebenberg
Director: Quentin Krog (Afrikaans with English subtitles)
Classification: 16 LNV

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