All eight episodes of the small-town psychological thriller, DAM, shot in the Eastern Cape are now streaming.
The plot centers around Yola Fischer (played by Silwerskerm’s Best Actress winner Lea Vivier) who returns to the farmhouse where she grew up following her father’s death. Yola returns to the local village after having spent six years in Chile, South America. But with her mother institutionalized, and her meds running out, Yola has to wonder if the spirits are real or just in her head.
Two-time South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) winner Pallance Dladla co-stars as Themba, her love interest, a biker on the run. Natasha Loring (who has voiced game characters in both the Star Wars and Game of Thrones franchises, and starred in international series like Beaver Falls) plays Yola’s sister, Sienna. SAFTA winner Antoinette Louw plays her aunt Dora, and Fleur du Cap winner Faniswa Yisa is Lindiwe. Laudo Liebenberg and Gerald Steyn star as brothers Rudy and Max Reese.
DAM’s all-star cast includes Hollywood star Neil Sandilands, SAFTA winner Siv Ngesi, SAFTA, and DSTV Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Award winner Thembisa Mdoda-Nxumalo, Fiesta winners Tarryn Wyngaard and Andre Odendaal, Fleur du Cap winner and three-time SAFTA nominee Jennifer Steyn and David James.
DAM is MAD backward.
– Director Alex Yazbek
“When water is dammed and prevented from flowing freely, eventually the dam wall is going to break. Emotions are the same: they need an outlet. Someone once said what you resist persists. Whatever you push down will rise. Repression is the source of most of our demons.”, says Yazbek.
Filmed on location in the Bedford and Adelaide towns of the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality of the Amathole District in the Eastern Cape, DAM builds on the success of Showmax’s first two scripted Originals – the SAFTA-winning mockumentary Tali’s Wedding Diary and the SAFTA-nominated murder mystery The Girl From St Agnes, both of which set first-day viewing records on Showmax.
DAM is loaded with compelling performances and moments that will leave your skin crawling. From the start, it promises to stand out from the TV pack. This beautifully shot eight-part series will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time and the production quality rivals those on the international stage. It’s exactly what South African TV needed, an absolute thriller.
Lea Vivier glows in the role of Yola Fischer. The way she drives the story forward, as her character finds herself neck-deep in family secrets and the dark history that involves the rest of the small town’s folks. The actress has a great on-screen presence and command that makes you care about the story and its development. This is true of every actor in this show, and certainly not a surprise given the names on the cast list, they all did what they had to do. Thembisa Mdoda-Nxumalo and Faniswa Yisa portray Qaqamba and Lindiwe respectively. They both portray their roles impeccably and with so much authenticity. Some of the creepiest scenes of the show include the greatness of these two brilliant actresses together.
You got to love the chemistry between Vivier and her co-star Pallance Dladla as Themba. Pallance portrays Themba, a heart-throb biker who packs up and heads back home to the rural Eastern Cape when things get tough. He meets Yola, who is also battling her demons, and then they hit it off immediately. It becomes clear that they need to lean on each other to survive the threats that the town poses to them, while they fight the pull of their pasts.
Highly acclaimed Hollywood star Neil Sandilands is a marvel to watch. He plays Bernoldus, the town handyman and the local bar’s resident singer-songwriter.
DAM comes off strong in the very first two episodes, boasting quality in sound, lighting, and cinematography that pulls you into the story and almost feels like a full-on cinematic experience. With such an unrelentingly dark and pulsating score to leave you crept out, it’s damn scary.
DAM is now streaming on Showmax
