| Paljas | |
| Director: | Katinka Heyns |
| Screenplay: | Chris Barnard |
| Starring: | Marius Weyers |
| Music: | Sue Grealy |
| Runtime: | 119 minutes |
| Country: | South Africa |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
Paljas (meaning "magic" or to cast a spell,[1] English title: "The Clown"[2]) is a 1997 Afrikaans language South African film. Paljas was written by Chris Barnard and directed by Katinka Heyns. It is based on the book of the same name.
The film revolves around the lives of the rural McDonald family. The household of Hendrik McDonald, stationmaster of the tiny Karoo town, Toorwater ("Magic-water"),[1] experience a number of unexpected situations when a travelling circus troupe leave behind a clown named Manuel. The intrigues of the story include the estranged relationship between Hendrik and his wife Katrien, partly due to her being admired by Frans Lombard. Meanwhile, their daughter Emma is discontented with her suitor, Nollie Kemp, and Willem, the household's youngest, remains withdrawn and refuses to talk. The continued presence of the eccentric clown, Manuel, is kept secret by Willem. Manuel is later cruelly chased and shot by some of the local community who consider him to be evidence of anti-Christian forces despite having succeeded in convincing Willem to communicate and healed much of the family's pain through his caring and fun nature.[3]
The film was submitted for the 70th Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, the first South African submission since the end of Apartheid.[4] [5]