A Kind of Madness – A Beautiful Glimpse into Memories of Days Gone By
Review
A Kind of Madness is a South African film that places dementia under the spotlight. Despite this backdrop, it’s not a depressing story. Rather, it’s an uplifting tale about memory, acceptance, and above all – love. We meet the two central characters, Elna (also known as Ellie) and Daniel, in the sea. This also happens to be their first meeting. We get a fleeting glimpse of how their relationship develops before the narrative transports us in time to an older Dan (played by Ian Roberts) visiting Elna (Sandra Prinsloo) in a care home. When she convinces him that she doesn’t belong there, he helps her escape. For the rest of the film, their three adult children are on their trail, trying to return Elna to the facility.
The story feels somewhat familiar. We’ve seen elements of it in Hans Steek die Rubicon Oor (2023), as well as Die Kwiksilwers (2024). The SABC 2 series Karavaan (2022), with Elsabé Daneel, Kurt Egelhof, and Albert Maritz, also contained strong similarities. Perhaps it shows that, in real life, adult children too often overlook the choices and dreams of their elderly parents.
What sets A Kind of Madness apart, and makes it unique compared to the earlier productions I mentioned, is that Elna suffers from dementia. It’s a theme that director Christiaan Olwagen handles with sensitivity throughout.
Production Information
Age Restriction
16
Cast
Sandra Prinsloo, Ashley de Lange, Ian Roberts en Luke Volker
Rating
4.5/5
Box Office
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Written by Anna-Marie Jansen van Vuuren
Professor Anna-Marie Jansen van Vuuren is a senior lecturer and research coordinator for the Film and Visual Communication, programme at the Faculty of Arts, at the Tshwane University of Technology. She specializes in research topics related to “identity” and “representation” in South African cinema—but in plain English: she loves movies, and she loves looking deeply at them.
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