PALJAS

South Africa, 1998, 119 minutes, Colour.
Marius Weyers, Aletta Bezuidenhout, Liezel van der Merwe, Larry Leyden, Jan Ellis, Ian Roberts.
Directed by Katinka Heyns.

Paljas is an excellent film, emerging from post-apartheid South Africa. However, its story is set in the 1960s, in a remote interior desert town where the railway passes through. Marius Weyers portrays the patriarch of the family working on the railways.

The film creates the atmosphere of the town in great detail as well as the family and its interactions. Things seem to be fairly stagnant. However, a circus loses its way and the clown is left behind in the town. As in films like Teorema, High Plains Drifter, a stranger comes into the town and changes the atmosphere, interacts with the different characters and transforms their lives. In Paljas, the clown figure bears a resemblance to short films like the 1964 Parable where the clown can be seen as a Christ figure. With the religious atmosphere of the Afrikaaners and the Dutch Reform Church in the town, this is appropriate.

Paljas is a word that could be translated as enchantment. Director Katinka Heyns made very few films. Chris Barnard, the writer, also wrote Fiela’s Child, another story about apartheid and a white foundling being brought up in an African family. Katinka Heyns also directed this film.

1.Films from South Africa? Post-apartheid? The re-creation of a period, place? Mentality?

2.The location photography, the town, the desert, the railway, homes, the animals, the ostrich?

3.The musical score, atmosphere of love, the theme of one day, the records?

4.The perspective of the 1990s, the black perspective, the Afrikaaners’ perspective, the church perspective? An assessment of the 1960s?

5.The title, its meaning of enchantment, magic and transformation? The clown?

6.The Mac Donald family, Hendrik as the patriarch, his wife, son and daughter? His career? In the town, waking up each day to work for the railways, his family, the alienation of his wife? His daughter? The mute boy? The details of ordinary life? The house, school, office?

7.The tension at home, Hendrik’s wife, Frans, the visits, the gossip? Gill and Nollie? Running, the bike, the clash? The boy and his refusal to talk, signing?

8.The circus in town, the oddity of this, the sexual action, the clown, reaction? The lions, the animals? Leaving?

9.The clown, his appearance, staying in the town? In himself, the mask? The bond with people, the boy? The magic painting? Staying, drawing? His costume? Playing games? The effect of his presence, speaking? The name? The father and the tricks, the delight?

10.The townspeople and their suspicions, the drawings? Accusations of witchcraft? Gossip? The leaders and their reaction, the visit of the Reverend Lynch?

11.The picture of the African church, the leader, the people, religious spirit? Judgmental?

12.The people and their suspicions, the clown in the church, his being ejected, the pursuit? Willie, the shooting?

13.The clown not dying, the comic style, getting better, changing the family? The clown’s departure – and leaving behind hope?

14.Going to the party, spattered? Home, talk? The visits? Heaven?

15.Hendrik and his being obtuse, having to face the facts, his wife and Frans? Lying down, speaking, changing?

16.The girl and Nollie, the support, the bath, the dance?

17.The boy, assertive, overcoming the trauma?

18.The clown, the tradition of clowns, entertaining, mute and miming? Jokes? Yet transforming? Appropriate to see the clown as a Christ figure?