A story of unexpected friendships, rediscovering of long-lost passions, and finding out what it means to be ‘good enough’.
What do you do when you meet the girl of your dreams and realise you’re not good enough for her? You lie, of course… Ben (Stiaan Smith), a complacent mechanic meets Linda (Amalia Uys), a beautiful and outspoken auditor in a bar one night. They start chatting and there are immediate sparks, but when Linda asks Ben what he does for a living, he lies and tells her he’s the lead singer in a band. Because not only is Linda out of Ben’s league, her father is also his boss. Linda immediately likes the charming muso, they fall for each other, and Ben has to start a band to conceal his lie and win over the girl of his dreams. “Sy Klink Soos Lente is an exciting approach to and revival of the Afrikaans Romantic Comedy genre. Corné van Rooyen’s sensitive directing style and Stiaan Smith’s fresh script create a wonderful background for the gorgeous Amalia Uys and Smith’s gripping performances.”
Interview with actor and screenwriter Stiaan Smith
Director’s Statement – Corné van Rooyen
Corne has directed for SABC, BBC, National Geographic, kykNET and Mnet as well several award winning short films and commercials. He holds a BA (Hons) degree in Directing and Screenwriting from AFDA. Through STAGE5FILMS and his own production company RED LETTER DAY PICTURES, Corne released his first feature film nationwide as writer/director for the award winning Hollywood in my Huis in 2015. He directed his second feature film Sy Klink Soos Lente. He is currently in preproduction on his third feature film Vaselinetjie.
Feel-good movies are often shunned as ordinary or overrated, not being able to penetrate the truths of the human condition or to add to the intellectual and collaborative well-being of society. However, something magical happens when a story is told in an authentic, noncliché manner, with which the audience honestly and thoroughly relates.
Sy Klink Soos Lente is such a story, where a boy meets a girl who is out of his league, and everyone roots for the both of them to overcome the barriers of class-difference set by societal expectations. With the above in mind, it would serve to delineate a genre for Sy Klink Soos Lente.
Romantic-comedy, in the traditional sense, would not suffice since the film moves beyond these structures on various levels.
Screenwriter Stiaan Smith has successfully created multidimensional characters finding themselves in unforced, natural storylines, submerged in dialogue-driven, situational comedy.
Sy Klink Soos Lente can therefore be defined as a performance-driven, indie-comedy, propelled by a fresh, unique approach, strong musical undertones and realistic, relevant relationships.
Thematically, the film resonates with the general, Afrikaans, female audience – who enjoy the romantic-comedy genre – but also with the young, working male due to its witty humour and buddy-comedy tone. The screenwriter’s ability to transcend these limitations through his wholesome, comic, realistic tone, makes the film accessible to a broader audience, appealing to young and old.
The challenge lied in translating the strong screenplay into a film that continues to honour these ideologies. As part of the positive revolution of the South African film industry, the opportunity of telling an authentic story in a uniquely, compelling manner, is thrilling and motivates us to push boundaries and overcome obstacles in order to make it happen.
By putting together a strong filmmaking team with a deep understanding of, and thorough experience in, performance-driven comedy, as well as marketing the film to the appropriate audience, Sy Klink Soos Lente should evolve into an extraordinary film. The story reminds people to fall in love with the commonplace and often buried gems such as loyalty and friendship, the pursuit of forgotten dreams and the ultimate triumph of love.