The Seagull (Die Seemeeu)

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:

A group of people—the vain and self-absorbed theatre diva, Irene, her ailing and ageing brother, Piet, the self-doubting, insecure, lovelorn playwright and neglected son, Konstant, the nai¨ve ingenue, Nina, the gloomy, alcoholic, dope-smoking Masha, the cheerful philosopher and witness to the drama, Dr Eugene, the brash farm manager, Elias, his long-suffering wife, Paulina, the puppy dog, poverty-stricken teacher, Simon, and the famous writer, Boors—grapple with inner fears, longings, doubts, regrets, recriminations and miseries – all of them of their own making.

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

Christiaan Olwagen (Johnny is nie Dood nie, Kanarie) adapts Anton Chekhov's classic play, The Seagull, to film, and places it in South Africa in the 1990’s, almost one hundred years after it was written. Performed in Afrikaans, with English subtitles, the characters are easily recognised, yet appear as if they were written for this new setting.

Each of Chekhov's skillfully drawn characters – the vain and self-absorbed theatre diva Irene (Sandra Prinsloo); her ailing and ageing brother Piet (Marius Weyers); the self-doubting, insecure, lovelorn playwright and neglected son Konstant (Albert Pretorius); the nai¨ve, ingenue Nina (Rolanda Marais); the gloomy, alcoholic, dope smoking Masha (Cintaine Schutte); the cheerful philosopher and witness to the drama Dr Eugene (Gerben Kamper); the brash farm manager Elias (Deon Lotz); his long suffering wife Paulina (Martelize Kolver); the puppy dog, poverty-stricken teacher Simon (Geon Nel); and the famous writer Boors (Alyzzander Fourie) – grapple with inner fears, longings, doubts, regrets, recriminations and miseries. 

All of them, of course, of their own making.