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WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Reverend Tienie Benade is confronted by a crossroads that will test his career, his marriage and his faith. A story about a man who needs to win back his confidence to again become the light he once was for everyone around him.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
The decline in church attendance is a global phenomenon. The role of the priest in our rapidly changing world is one of the themes that lies at the heart of Dominee Tienie, a new film starring acclaimed actor Frank Opperman, who reprises on the big screen the role he played on stage in the one-man play of the same name, written by Dana Snyman.
The film tells the story of a priest who needs to win back his confidence if he is to again become the light he once was for everyone around him.
After 16 years of serving as the priest of the mother church, Tienie Benade is faced with a steep decline in the number of congregants and a modern society that is rapidly changing. Is he brave enough to provide guidance to his congregation in this new era?
According to director and co-writer Sallas de Jager the idea of an Afrikaans priest coming to the realisation that he has lost his way and doesn’t know where he fits within this modern society, immediately fascinated him.
Do clergymen still have a role to play in this world, asks Tienie? Does the church? He is trying his best to adapt and make sense of the changes, but in the process, he is alienating his wife and children. After an incident with a dying vagrant, Dominee Tienie finds himself at a crossroads. Will he be able to regain his self-confidence and win back the love of his family, and is he brave enough to provide guidance to his congregation in this new era?
The film also explores the inner world of a man who is battling to get to grips with changing times while he confronts his own mid-life crisis. For Opperman, the role adds to the list of memorable alter egos for which he has become famous: From the eager-to-please Ouboet in Orkney Snork Nie, and the scheming Chris Karedes in The Big Time, to Koos Andries Koekemoer in Gauteng-a-Leng.
The film, which both entertains and challenges audiences, is directed by Sallas de Jager who wrote the screenplay based on Dana Snyman’s play.
