Hond se Dinges (2009) Reviews

• Watchable, even though its not very funny

  jhpstrydom2009-06-22

  Now and again South African film makers bring out a comedy that is not always funny but entertaining none the less, in this case HOND SE DINGES or translated it would probably mean DOG'S THINGY, so happens to be a comedy that is not one of the funniest you'll find but its not a total waste of time, it features decent acting from the cast, the directing is standard for this type of film, the only complaint I actually have are the English subtitles, I would've preferred the option to turn them off because I speak the language fluently. The storyline is however not something you haven't seen before, its about a band singer who gets dumped by his girlfriend and lead singer of his band and decides to return to his home town to visit his grandfather and also take back an organ he took when he left (note, the organ I'm talking about is a musical instrument) little does he know that his grandfather's dog has dug up an old skeleton of his great grandfather who was supposedly murdered over a missing diamond. The film is watchable and another on the plus side, unlike a previous South African comedy it doesn't try to force the humor, and even though it has strong language, you don't hear a large collection of swear words in a matter 10 seconds like in a previous S.A comedy called POENA IS KONING, for if you didn't like that one because of it.

• Correct translation of title

  werlank2011-05-05

  In view of the previous reviews, it might make sense for the non-Afrikaans speaking readers to know that the translation of the title is a bit nuanced and is comical (and fitting) for it's word-play. It can be translated as "Dog's Backside" or "Dog's @rse". However, the wordplay is a nuance that is found in Afrikaans. The actual phrase "Hond se gat" which is a bit crude, where "gat" refers to the dog's backside. In this case the wordplay is understood to be "dinges"="gat"=hole in the ground ... As for the comedic nature of South-African films, it is often based on cultural specific references and current affairs where social stigma, preconceptions and hyperbole are used to entertain South-African viewers. Because of this, as with most "foreign-language" films, it is a bit of an acquired taste and viewers who are not acquainted with Afrikaans humour might not "be in" on all the jokes. Such a wonderful language - Afrikaans...