\u2018Nul is Nie Niks Nie\u2019, a heart-warming and darkly amusing new film about life, death and everything in between, tells the story of three friends living in a sleepy town \u2013 Martin \u2018Hoender\u2019 (Jaden van der Merwe), Drikus (Pieter Louw), and Chris (Daniah de Villiers) \u2013 who set out to make Drikus\u2019 dying wish come true \u2013 to make a zombie movie.<\/p>\n
What makes the movie stand out from the slate of local films in recent years is that it revolves around performances by children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe story is brought to life through the brilliant performances of a charming and talented young cast,\u201d says Helen Kuun, CEO of Indigenous Film Distribution. \u201cAs risky as it can be to hang your film on the performances of teenagers, this film proves that it can pay off handsomely if you cast the right children. Those who have seen \u2018Nul is Nie Niks Nie\u2019 have nothing but praise for the fresh, nuanced portrayals of three troubled youngsters living in an isolated town where nothing much changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The discovery of this young talent seems all the more impressive for having seemingly come from nowhere. \u201cWe auditioned more than 400 kids to find our three leads,\u201d says director Morn\u00e9 du Toit. \u201cIt was a demanding process, because the actors you cast in a film about young teenagers have to have a level of maturity to cope with the emotional demands of the story, which is at times comical and at times extremely poignant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s more, from\u00a0 a director\u2019s point of view, I was also tasked with capturing a different kind of magic; with children, there is a sense of temporality, of catching them at a specific moment in their lives, and of reflecting that with integrity and insight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jaden van der Merwe (Hoender) was the first to be cast and he set the bar, according to Du Toit. \u201cWhen we saw how he interacted with Pieter Louw (Drikus) and Daniah de Villiers (Chris), we knew we had nailed the casting. All three brought so much depth to the characters they portray,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many ways, the young characters in this story have a lot to teach the adults who are able to undergo transformation thanks to what they learn from a trio of young misfits. The roles are reversed as the kids become the teachers and mentors\u201d.<\/p>\n
Casting the right young talent has paid off in several memorable films. Among the most successful child performances of the 21st century is Keisha Castle-Hughes in \u2018Whale Rider\u2019 (2003). At the age of 11, she played the daughter in a long line of sons who fights to fulfil her destiny as the leader of her ancient Maori tribe, despite the patriarchal nature of the clan\u2019s traditions. The richness of the emotion she brought to this exceptional story earned her an Oscar nomination for best actress.<\/p>\n
Another fine example is \u2018Stand by Me\u2019 (1986), which tells the story of four boys, inseparable friends all, who set out in search of a dead body that one of the boys overhears his brother talking about. The foursome comprised the intellectual Gordie (Wil Wheaton), born leader Chris (River Phoenix), emotionally disturbed Teddy (Corey Feldman), and chubby hanger-on Vern (Jerry O’Connell), all of them affected by the pressures of the adult world round them.<\/p>\n
\u2018Lord of the Flies\u2019 (1990), starring Balthazar Getty, Chris Furrh, Danuel Pipoly and James Badge Dale, an updated take on William Golding’s classic novel, depicts what happens when a group of American military schoolboys become marooned on a remote island after a plane crash. While initially cooperative, after the discovery of a \u2018beast\u2019, the boys split into two warring camps.<\/p>\n
An enduring favourite is \u2018The Man in the Moon\u2019 (1991), a coming of age drama which was also a young Reese Witherspoon’s film debut.<\/p>\n
Locally, the 1976 feel-good cult film \u2018e’Lollipop\u2019, told the story of a friendship between two young boys \u2013 one black, the other white \u2013 in the racially divided South Africa of the 1970s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is charming about \u2018Nul is Nie Niks Nie\u2019 is the sense of watching real children who have a natural ability, proving that that age and experience don\u2019t necessarily dictate talent,\u201d says Kuun. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see kids in memorable roles which show that they have acting chops on par with well-known names.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also appearing in \u2018Nul is Nie Niks Nie\u2019 are Morn\u00e9 Visser, Marisa Drummond, Antoinette Louw, June van Merch, Kim Syster, Bradley Olivier, and Francois Jacobs.<\/p>\n
The film is produced by Redhead Productions and Faith in Motion Productions, in association with kykNET Films, the ATKV, and the DTI. It is being distributed in South Africa by Indigenous Film Distribution, and will be released in cinemas nationwide on 7 July.<\/p>\n