As we start drawing closer to the festive season, everyone is looking forward to some much-needed downtime. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean travelling to some hidden getaway.
It could simply entail plonking yourself down on the couch, with the remote control within reach.
I love this time of the year as there is plenty to look forward to as far as binge-worthy options are concerned.
As such, Showmax’s trailer of its upcoming murder mystery, “Donkerbos”, which debuts on the streaming platform on Tuesday, January 17, has already got the attention of whodunnit fans.
Writer-director Nico Scheepers, who won a Golden Horn for Best Editing: TV Drama at this year’s Saftas, is at the helm of this offering, which is produced by Nagvlug Films.
If you enjoyed “I Am All Girls” and “Reyka”, offerings which tackled sensitive albeit pertinent subject matters, “Donkerbos” will not disappoint.
The premise centres on six children who are found in the backwater forests of Donkerbos, Limpopo. And it is up to a shunned detective, Fanie (played by Erica Wessels), to race against time to find the killer before another child becomes a statistic.
This investigation is compounded by the detective’s past, which is one that hasn’t fostered trust in the community. And she’s got family issues, but who doesn’t, really?
The merger of the up-and-coming and seasoned cast will leave Mzansi giddy with excitement. We are talking about Thoko Ntshinga, Sanda Shandu, Nicole Holm, Stian Bam, Aphiwe Sithole, Carel Nel, Rolanda Marais, Wilhelm van der Walt, Leandie du Randt, Nicola Hanekom, Caleb Payne and Edwin van der Walt.
In a press statement, Wessels commented on the English-Venda crime series, calling it both “the best thing I’ve ever read in Afrikaans” and “the darkest thing I’ve ever done”.
She added: “The text is so well written. And it’s awfully dark. It’s the darkest thing I've ever done. What I liked most about the script is not only that it is dark or the incredible characters and beautiful storyline; what was very interesting for me is that it is a thriller, but still I got so emotional.
“I cried terribly while reading the screenplays. I asked myself why I was crying like that.”
She added: “I do think it’s partly because it’s about children, children who get hurt, and I’m a mother. Children are the most vulnerable in our communities.”
In shedding light on her character, she offered: “She is a great character. She is extremely good at what she does. She is strong and abrupt and difficult, but she commands respect. She hates injustice. She is actually an incredibly good person, but under this brash, hard exterior of getting sh*t done. I love her.”
Ultimately, it’s a flawed protagonist, like we’ve witnessed in so many crime dramas, but that is what adds to the appeal of the series. That’s not taking into account the solid storytelling.
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