Jakhalsdans

Jakhalsdans, the new film by Darrel James Roodt and written by Deon Meyer, features some well known South African names. Theuns Jordaan, Elizma Theron, Neil Sandilands, and Christina Storm heads up this film’s cast in a story about love, passion and music.
Mara Malan (Elizma Theron) and her 6 year old daughter Mia (Janke Bruwer) spend the last of Mara’s savings to move to Loxton where Mara plans to make a new life for her and her daughter. But the school where Mara gets a teaching runs into financial trouble and is about to be closed down by the education authorities. To save the school Mara and her fellow teachers have to raise R500 000 in three weeks.
Inspired by her daughter and a local musician, Dawid le Fleur (Neil Sandilands), Mara sets out to hold a massive concert in order to raise the needed funds, all she needs is a couple of big names. Unbeknownst to her, her neighbour is a famous singer-composer named Ruan Landman (Theuns Jordaan), who exiled himself to Loxton to become a recluse. His odd behaviour intrigues the 6-year-old Mia, who immediately strikes up a friendship with him, to the dismay of her mother.
Written primarily in Afrikaans, with English subtitles, Jakhalsdanstells the story of a small Karoo town that many people can identify with. It touches on universal themes such as music, love, understanding, cooperation, and unity in the face of adversity. The film is Afrikaans drama at its best, in the tradition of Die Storie van Klara Viljee (1992), Nag van die 19de (1992) and Paljas (1998).

With two of South Africa’s best known Afrikaans musicians in the lead roles, the movie features a great soundtrack crammed full of Afrikaans ballads, including a brand new song by Theuns Jordaan written for the movie.

All in all, Jakhalsdans is an engaging drama that will have something for everyone.