Six years ago, a cellphone video of a mother capturing her daughter driving a bicycle into a rugby pole went viral, and the words ‘My f*k, Marelize’ became part of the nation’s vocabulary. In the blink of an eye, everyone knew who the Horns of Windhoek, Namibia, were. 

This year, at the Silwerskerm Film Festival, held in Camps Bay, Cape Town, ‘My f*k, Marelize!’ made its feature film debut.
But here is the good news for everyone eager to see how a short video turned into a full-length film.

 ‘My f*k, Marelize!’ will be released today in cinemas across South Africa and Namibia. 

“It is a story about family,” director Zandré Coetzer said. 

“This is a movie for anyone who understands that family dynamics can also be a family dynamite. The story at the heart of the film is actually so small, but it throws a huge punch. In short, it is a story about life,” she added. 

‘My f*k, Marelize!’ depicts a story of Heidi, a strong-willed woman hiding her cancer from her family. 

Marelize, her accident-prone daughter, needs to learn how to ride a bike to become an au pair in the Netherlands. 

How hard can that be? Zandélle Meyer is Marelize, with Je-ani Swiegelaar and Neels Clasen playing the roles of her parents, Heidi and Tiaan. Nichola Viviers is Marelize’s younger sister, Wilmari. 

“Never in our wildest dreams,” said Marelize Horn about the fact that the video that made her and her mother an internet sensation is now a feature film. “Mom shared the video with my sister and the family. We thought that would be the end of it. But almost overnight, it touched so many people. It was shared to Facebook and YouTube by other people, which just showed how many people wanted to be part of this moment. It still doesn’t feel real. How many people can say something like this has happened to them?,” added Horn. 

She said the film is vital to Heidi because of her journey with cancer. 

“Her story is not an easy one. She fought hard and wanted to see the light at the end of the tunnel. That is the most important part of this film. We want people to know that God is the answer. We would never have been able to walk this path on our own. People must realise that you are never alone – no matter how tough the world out there is,” she said. The Horns have a placard in their bathroom with the words ‘each day is not good, but there is good in every day’. 

“Life has thrown us a couple of curve balls. These words are so true when it comes to our family. This movie is about my mother. She has the opportunity to tell her story and help others who need it,” she shared.

Zandré and Brett Michael Innes, the screenwriter of ‘My f*k, Marelize!’, and known for the feature films ‘Sink’ (2015) and ‘Fiela se kind’ (2019), visited the Horns in Windhoek on numerous occasions. 

“They opened their home and their hearts to us. It later felt as if we were visiting family. I wanted to make a film that they would be proud of. The Horns made me again realise how important family relationships are and how fortunate you are to have a family you can call your own. 

“That is what I wanted to capture in this film. My hope is that, when people have watched the film, they will reach out to their family members for a get-together,” she said.

 ‘My f*k, Marelize!’ was filmed in Windhoek, produced by Nagvlug Films and Nostalgia Productions in South Africa as well as Joe Vision Productions in Namibia. 

Indigenous Film Distribution distributes it. 

The film was made possible by kykNET, MultiChoice Namibia and the National Film and Video Foundation.