The Story of Klara Viljee

This affirming story of one woman's struggle to free herself from the past, and how that affects the small fishing village where she lives, shows that faith can move mountains, or unmake them. When the seamstress Klara loses her father and her fiance at sea, she decides she never wants to see the ocean again. She builds her house behind a huge sand dune, and even refuses to eat fish. Several years later, however, she receives news that makes her start carting away the dune, bucket load by bucket load. It turns out her boyfriend is alive, and that hes been living in Cape Town for the past six years. He ran off because he made a local girl pregnant a pregnancy attributed to the local schoolmaster. As the villagers watch Klara move the dune, they begin examining their own lives, and the entire community undergoes a wondrous rejuvenation.

Directed by Katinka Heyns, The Story of Klara Viljee leans on a strong ensemble — Michelle Scott, Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Regardt van den Bergh — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1992.