Showmax’s raunchcom Eksie Perfeksie asks: ‘Can you stay friends with your exes?’

Showmax has just dropped the first trailer for Eksie Perfeksie, premiering on the African streamer on Friday, 9 August 2024. 

After impulsively moving in with his girlfriend, who he barely knows, André finds out that Dalene is still friends with all of her ex-boyfriends. Intimidated by their presence, André tries to befriend them, only to discover that all of Dalene’s relationships follow the exact same pattern …

Pietie Beyers (Binnelanders, Die Onderonsie) and Emma van Heyn (2024 Silwerskerm selection Gebokste Liefde, Matilda en Matthys, Twintig Tone in ‘n Hangkas) co-star, with singer Bobby van Jaarsveld (Liefling, Spoorloos) and former Mister World South Africa Sean van Noordwyk (Getroud Met Rugby, Die Onderonsie) as just two of Dalene’s many exes. 

Maude Sandham (Binnelanders) and SAFTA and Silwerskerm winner Cindy Swanepoel (Koek) play André’s sister and her lover, with Yvonne van den Bergh (7de Laan, Orion) as their dominatrix – her first appearance on screen in nearly a decade. 

Narrated by Die Groot Ontbyt’s Pierre Breytenbach, the raunchcom is written and directed by Corné Koegelenberg (Valentynsokkie), based on a story by his girlfriend, SAFTA nominee Bibi Slippers (Hotel, Matilda en Matthys).

Watch the trailer for Eksie Perfeksie

‘Can you stay friends with your exes? Ja of nee?’ That’s the divisive question at the heart of Eksie Perfeksie – and it became rather personal for Corné during filming. 

“I’m not saying Showmax forced me to cast Pietie, but he’s Bibi’s ex, so I really didn’t want her writing an entire screenplay about falling in love with him,” jokes Corné. “And then, even more annoyingly, he’s so good in this. We’ve actually become swimming partners and friends who go on lunch dates without Bibi, so I like to think I handled things better than André does, but possibly not by much initially.” 

Perhaps because he didn’t want Pietie to come across as even more attractive than he already is, Eksie Perfeksie isn’t a typical Hollywood take on romance, or at least it’s more of a Judd Apatow one, with relatable, flawed leads who look like normal people. 

“Things don’t always go right,” says Corné. “Sometimes, people are shy. Sometimes, they ask the wrong questions. Sometimes they do the wrong things. We wanted to create layered characters with real, everyday problems that our viewers can relate to.”

Ultimately though, he also just wanted to make people laugh. “We really wanted to make a ridiculous comedy,” says Corné. “I always remember the comedies of my childhood, which I probably wasn’t supposed to watch. Things like Something About Mary and American Pie from the late 90s, where there were a lot of below-the-belt jokes. I remember watching some of those films with my mother, and it was weird. In Afrikaans, we don’t normally make movies like this, and when we do, we go too far. So we wanted to try and create a balance between a good old nice love story and some ridiculous comedy that will make you cringe.”

With its 16SL age restriction, expect lots you don’t normally see in Afrikaans films, including half-naked men, bathrooms, toilet humour, vloekery and women who fart in the bath. So get the popcorn and mayonnaise ready for this laugh-out-loud movie (you’ll understand once you’ve watched).

Eksie Perfeksie is produced by Swartberg Storiehandelaars and Black Gosling, with the soundtrack scored by lead actress Emma van Heyn and featuring gems like Van Pletzen’s “Dis kak, maarit naai.” 

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