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Partners
What it's about:
Reghart (Izak Davel) is a young mechanic from the wrong side of the tracks. When he is arrested for the umpteenth time on charges of assault, he faces a decision set out for him by a social worker - either rekindle his boyhood talent for the game of rugby, or face time in jail. Fafa (Altus Theart), himself a washed-out ex-professional rugby player with a troubled history, is assigned to coach and mentor Reghart. Through the game of rugby, the two men help to heal each other and the wounds of the past.
What we thought:
Getroud met Rugby is based on the Afrikaans television series of the same title. From the outset one gets the sense that the producers have tried to break away from the limitations of the small screen to make full use of the scope of cinema. A surprisingly striking original score and a well-executed opening sequence sets the tone. However, it’s not the tone you might expect. Rather than focusing on the brutal contact sport and all the rough and tumble associated with it, Getroud met Rugby fixes on the emotional growth of the characters and their stories of personal struggle.
Director Cobus Rossouw brilliantly captures the motion in all the action scenes that actually do pertain to the game. But the intensity of the fast paced-scenes is often interrupted by some wooden acting here and there. Kiki the blonde cheerleader who broke Fafa’s heart when she left him after the death of their child delivers her eight lines with the emotional conviction of a Barbie.
Altus Theart tries his best to embody the dark horse that is ex-rubgy god "Vinnige Fafa", but all the scowling does not always convince. Similarly, Izak Davel’s emotionally immature character puts a strain on the actor as he frowns through every scene in an attempt to seem 'troubled'. The performances aren't helped by the unimaginative scriptwriting that never feels real. People don't really speak that way, do they?
However, one exciting surprise in the acting department has to be the almost tangible chemistry between Davel and romantic lead San-Marie Nel. The vulnerable character being sweetly seduced by a good woman is always fun to watch. That Davel's baby blue eyes get a close up and that he sports a chiselled physique for the film probably helps.
Getroud met rugby is perhaps too earnest in its attempt to tell a life-affirming story about broken people trying to heal themselves and each other. The game of rugby, although it is the central theme that ties the characters together, strangely remains just that. The majority of the film is devoted to the human drama and the characters embroiled in it. So if you are a hardcore rugby fan looking to watch enormous men tackle the living daylights out of each other, I suggest you rather just watch the game.
Reghart (Izak Davel) is a young mechanic from the wrong side of the tracks. When he is arrested for the umpteenth time on charges of assault, he faces a decision set out for him by a social worker - either rekindle his boyhood talent for the game of rugby, or face time in jail. Fafa (Altus Theart), himself a washed-out ex-professional rugby player with a troubled history, is assigned to coach and mentor Reghart. Through the game of rugby, the two men help to heal each other and the wounds of the past.
What we thought:
Getroud met Rugby is based on the Afrikaans television series of the same title. From the outset one gets the sense that the producers have tried to break away from the limitations of the small screen to make full use of the scope of cinema. A surprisingly striking original score and a well-executed opening sequence sets the tone. However, it’s not the tone you might expect. Rather than focusing on the brutal contact sport and all the rough and tumble associated with it, Getroud met Rugby fixes on the emotional growth of the characters and their stories of personal struggle.
Director Cobus Rossouw brilliantly captures the motion in all the action scenes that actually do pertain to the game. But the intensity of the fast paced-scenes is often interrupted by some wooden acting here and there. Kiki the blonde cheerleader who broke Fafa’s heart when she left him after the death of their child delivers her eight lines with the emotional conviction of a Barbie.
Altus Theart tries his best to embody the dark horse that is ex-rubgy god "Vinnige Fafa", but all the scowling does not always convince. Similarly, Izak Davel’s emotionally immature character puts a strain on the actor as he frowns through every scene in an attempt to seem 'troubled'. The performances aren't helped by the unimaginative scriptwriting that never feels real. People don't really speak that way, do they?
However, one exciting surprise in the acting department has to be the almost tangible chemistry between Davel and romantic lead San-Marie Nel. The vulnerable character being sweetly seduced by a good woman is always fun to watch. That Davel's baby blue eyes get a close up and that he sports a chiselled physique for the film probably helps.
Getroud met rugby is perhaps too earnest in its attempt to tell a life-affirming story about broken people trying to heal themselves and each other. The game of rugby, although it is the central theme that ties the characters together, strangely remains just that. The majority of the film is devoted to the human drama and the characters embroiled in it. So if you are a hardcore rugby fan looking to watch enormous men tackle the living daylights out of each other, I suggest you rather just watch the game.
