Een saam is a sensitive reflection on loss, conservative parenting and gender identity
Josh Hundermark’s short film Een saam seamlessly blends the past and present with scenes from old VHS home videos and memory flashbacks to depict the melancholic existence of a lonely middle-aged man who mourns the loss of his wife and child. Initially, the reason behind their departure is vague, but as the film moves forward frame by frame, we stitch together the reason behind Pieter’s despair.
Without giving away the plot of this gentle, moving story, it is safe to say that Een saam deals with regretting past behaviour, gender identity and different parenting styles – especially the main character’s conservative approach.
Morné Visser brings the lonesome Pieter to life. His open-minded wife is portrayed by another experienced and award-winning thespian, Erica Wessels, and their offspring is an adorable, angelic-looking nine-year-old with wild, curly locks played by Gerhard Conradie. The film also marks the on-screen debut of Zeno Jacobs, who holds a Master of Arts in Theatre and Performance from the University of the Witwatersrand.
As Een saam’s screenwriter, director, producer and co-editor, Josh aimed to spark constructive dialogue about the excommunication and isolation conservative parenting and orthodox binary gender views might bring about.
Josh was well aware that these are complex and delicate topics. “It was vital for me not to misrepresent a story dealing with gender identity or address white middle-class daddy issues from my perspective only,” Josh says. “The keywords driving this project had to be authenticity, collaboration and intention.”
Diana Mills, who won the 2022 Silwerskerm Film Festival Award for Best Director: Short Film with the groundbreaking post-apocalyptic film My beskermer, became Josh’s Guiding Light on the project by sharing her personal experiences with gender identity and being a sounding board for the narrative.
“I approached Diana because I had admired her for a while,” Josh explains. “Her contribution to the project was immense. Not only did she agree to walk the long road alongside me, but she also offered to be the AD on the film, and, ultimately, Diana became the backbone of my team.”
Josh also raves about Morné’s contribution to creating an authentic story: “Morné was more than just a lead; he was a collaborator.”
Before the cameras started rolling, Morné and Josh met several times, during which Morné shared personal experiences about his upbringing and his children who questioned their identity.
“This allowed for a sensitivity to the project that I was not expecting but was so valuable,” Josh says.
Besides the conversations with Morné, the Een saam crew dedicated much of their rehearsal time to online or coffee shop sessions during which they discussed their personal narratives. “It was paramount in understanding the topics and purpose of the film and fostered an emotional connection with the story,” Josh explains.
This approach allowed Josh to create a multi-layered film in which every creative move was intentional. One of these decisions was to use old VHS filming equipment. “This practical element adds a sense of nostalgia, and experimenting is what short films are all about,” Josh explains.
Een saam is screened at the festival on Thursday, 24 August, at 09:00 and will be available on kykNET and Showmax later.