Feature Film

Som Van Twee

Synopsis

After the death of his wife, a once-promising psychologist returns to his small town determined to finally pass the Matric Maths paper he abandoned years ago. He recruits his estranged teenage son as reluctant tutor. When a family obligation drags the pair—and the grandfather with a flair for mischief—on a road trip to Barberton, old wounds reopen. Along the way, unexpected detours force them to face generational patterns of absence and pride. The journey becomes a chance to rewrite the equation that’s kept them apart.

Genre

Drama / Road Movie

Year

2024

Language

Afrikaans (with English subtitles)

Duration

(TBD)

Shooting Location

Mpumalanga, Barberton, Gauteng

Country

South Africa

Status

Theatrical run completed.

Awards

  • Best Actor — Silwerskermfees 2024
  • Best Original Soundtrack — Silwerskermfees 2024
  • Best Feature Film — Silwerskermfees 2024
  • Best Director — Silwerskermfees 2024

Director’s Note

South Africa carries a complicated inheritance of fatherlessness. Som van Twee explores how love and accountability can coexist when history says they can’t.

This film is about three generations of men who are trying — awkwardly, painfully, sometimes hilariously — to show up for each other. It’s also about what it takes for a son to see his father as just a man, and for a father to admit he was wrong.

Stylistically, I wanted to stay close to the emotional truth. The camera doesn’t intrude; it listens. We stay grounded in subtle, observational moments — stolen glances, misfired jokes, unfinished apologies. The tone is intimate, sometimes wry, always human.

At its heart, Som van Twee believes people can change — slowly, stupidly, but for real. And that maybe, just maybe, it’s not too late to become the parent, the partner, or the person you never had.

Cast & Key Crew

Writer / Director

Simoné Pretorius (Second Circle Films)

Producers

Simoné Pretorius, Dries Scholtz

Director of Photography

Werner Botha

Editor

Dries Scholtz

Composer

Snoozefest

Cast

Louw Venter, Adriaan Havenga, James Borthwick, Pierre Breytenbach, Righard van Jaarsveld, Greteli de Swardt, Deon Coetzee, Johan Baird, Reginald Hufkie, Leandie du Randt, Kim Cloete.

About the Filmmaker

Writer-Director: Simoné Pretorius · Second Circle Films

BIO: Simoné Pretorius is a South African actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. After a decade in front of the camera with critically acclaimed roles in films such as Vir die Voëls (Tallgrass Best Actress Award) and Wonderlus, she expanded into storytelling through writing and directing.

In 2020, she founded Second Circle Films and began developing original Afrikaans-language content that explores identity, family, and faith through a cinematic lens. Her directorial debut Som van Twee premiered at Silwerskermfees 2024, winning seven awards including Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Director. She is currently a weekly director on Showmax’s Reënboogrant and scriptwriter for kykNET’s Beter As Gister.

Simoné’s work often merges comedy with pathos, spotlighting underrepresented South African voices with emotional nuance and genre play. With a growing presence in both television and film, she is regarded as a leading creative voice in Afrikaans entertainment and a champion for emerging talent through her training platform, Art of Acting SA.