Our local crime TV offerings continue to give me goosebumps.
I’ve just started watching “Skemerdans” on Showmax and I’m blown away by the star power, script, cinematography and directing. Wow!
If you were put off by the fact that it is in Afrikaans, don’t be.
This Cape Flats neo-noir murder mystery is bolstered by a phenomenal cast of Kevin Smith, Ilse Klink, Vinette Ebrahim, Brendon Daniels, Carmen Maarman, Trudy van Rooy, Kim Syster, Danny Ross, Carl Weber, Bongo Mbutuma, Sanda Shandu and the late Ceagan Arendse.
In fact, the first episode is dedicated to Arendse, who plays Warren.
The premise is built around the Fortune family and The Oasis, a jazz club which is run by Glenn (Smith) and his wife Shireen (Klink).
It was once a favourite haunt of the locals. But times have changed and so has the foot traffic.
The business hasn’t been doing well for some time and Warren, who is the black sheep of the family, tries to convince Glenn to grab an opportunity that will not only get him out of debt with the new crime syndicate on the block but also give him a slice of the action, too.
But Glenn is not keen on the dodgy deal.
Then there is Trevor (Daniels), who is the voice of reason and the moral compass of the family. He helped Glenn keep the business afloat by lending him the money he had kept aside from some home renovations. Now he needs it back.
All of this goes down in episode one, where there appears to be some personal issues going on between Glenn and Shireen, too.
Unfortunately, the night doesn’t end well. Glenn is shot and all their lives are upended.
While the family tries to make sense of the loss amid a fallout after the reading of Glenn’s will, the staff at the club are left in limbo while the heads of the crime syndicate circulate like vultures.
“Skemerdans” is currently streaming on Showmax.