South African cinema and stories are deeply tied into familial bonds. The level of detailed exploration across film and television is so detailed that one wonders if there is anything still left to explore.
“Landmyn”, which was released in cinemas on Friday, proves that there is still a lot one can say about familial relationships and the ways in which they permanently mark you.
The movie follows siblings Colette, Johan, and Lisa who reunite for a winter holiday on the South African coast for the first time in a decade. Each has built a life, trying to outrun the long shadow of their mother, Annatjie.
“The gathering shifts when Colette reveals she has invited her to join them. Annatjie arrives like a hurricane, pulling the family back into patterns of resentment, survival, and unfinished history. As the days pass, Annatjie’s presence collapses the distance the siblings have built, drawing them back into roles shaped by obligation and dependency.
“Each of them is forced to confront how much of their lives still bends around her gravity, and whether that hold can finally be broken,” the film’s logline reads.
It is easy to see why “Landmyn” made a clean sweep of four headline categories at the kykNET Silwerskerm Awards. It is an affecting film that gently lures you in, meandering through with the ever-present tension building and building until the family is forced to have a reckoning.
A little under two hours, the movie delves deep into a relationship and dynamic that many will find, either hits too close for comfort, or that they can at least identify familiar bonds presented on screen.
The movie is shot with care and intentionality that you quickly find yourself resonating with one of the siblings, or realising that you have been one of the siblings at some point in time.
The film being set along a cozy and open Cape Town beachfront, beautifully contrasts with the claustrophobic tension coming from not only the number of people within the beach house, but also the unspoken issues pushing-and-pulling at its inhabitants.
Credit has to be given to writer and director Nico Scheepers, because this so easily could have become overly-melodramatic or pastiche, but the film has a good enough balance with the scenes all feeling true to who the characters are.
Another standout is also the talented cast. For some, the last time they may have seen Anna-Mart van der Merwe was during her time on "7de Laan", while others would be more familiar with her other work.
Whether you are a newbie to her, or a long-time supporter, you will still be impressed with what Van der Merwe does in her role. Scenes which require her character to be off-kilter are calibrated well-enough, as it marries well with other scenes where her character is biting and passive-aggressive.
A role like Annatjie is so integral to the story working, and she delivers in a stellar way.
Another key figure which beautifully contrasts Annatjie is that of her sister, Beth (Nicole Holm). It is a role which could easily be overlooked as she is the family peacekeeper, but Holm carries her character’s devotion to her family with care, while also showing her backbone when necessary.
The performances by the siblings Carla Smith (Colette), Ben Albertyn (Johan) and Dhania Schultz (Lisa) are so well-drawn that they truly feel like they have been siblings for their whole lives.
They all do incredibly well at having their frustrations towards Annatjie simmering beneath every interaction which all is impressively tied together by the end of the film.
The production design and the cinematography are effortless, and for that it should be commended. For the characters to feel so real that you feel like you’ve seen that very family before, goes to show that there was intentional thought and effort put into what was portrayed on screen.
Director for Premium Channels at MultiChoice, a Canal+ company, Waldimar Pelser, hit the nail on the head during his remarks about the film.
“Where Nico Scheepers excelled last year with his horror film ‘Hen’, ‘Landmyn’ will cause a stir in an entirely different way. It is a relationship drama in which he and the outstanding cast prove how unsettling a small gesture can be.”
As the movie was reaching its climax, there was a scene where I found myself moved to tears because it hit a nerve a little too close to home. However, it was because of its ability to do so, that I still found myself thinking about the movie days later.
“Landmyn” is a beautiful yet challenging portrayal of how tough families can be. The movie explores the cost that comes when the consequences of hurting one’s children can eventually return to haunt a family.
The movie is now playing in cinemas, and will also be airing on kykNET within the coming months.
Rating:★★★★ (4/5). An engaging and affecting family drama which will have you still thinking about it a while after you have stopped watching.
theolin.tembo@nationalmg.co.za