With Women’s Day just around the corner, I’m not surprised that this South African gem has hit our screens today. If you were wondering, Tuiskoms in Afrikaans means “homecoming.” The show doesn’t necessarily give you this translation, but I guess if you pay enough attention, you might pick it up while watching the show. Tuiskoms tells the story of a widow named Fleur, who has taken over her late husband’s restaurant after his death two years ago.
Still grieving, Fleur doesn’t want to give up the failing restaurant, but things take a drastic turn when a man finds pubic hair on her dessert plate (oops!). Videos are recorded of Fleur defending the restaurant and even licking some off the plate, but Fleur believes she can still pull through. Sadly, this isn’t the case and she loses everything, leading her to move back to her parents’ home in the town of Wilderness. Will she be able to find a new purpose for herself there? That's what you'll discover in Tuiskoms.
Stars: Armand Aucamp, Amalia Uys, Edwin van der Walt
But that's not all the show is. The South African series looks, from the outside, like a simple slice-of-life show that you might want to gloss over, but it's actually a very deep show about grief and femininity across generations. I must admit that hearing Afrikaans for the first time already caught my attention, but the show has a very subtle approach to storytelling, hidden in the show's visual style, which gives off typical rom-com vibes. Also, are flower arrangements the new global trend? Because why am I watching two Netflix shows from completely different genres and from different continents centered around flower arrangements? As someone who's never really liked flowers, I'm suddenly very intrigued by the art form, but I digress.
You know, if I had to call a series feminist, this is what it would look like. No, there's no message of equality beneath the funny premise; It’s simply a show about women, showing us their many struggles and how they are able to solve their own problems on their own. And it definitely feels like it’s made by women for women, which is why I think it fits perfectly. In Tuiskoms, Fleur struggles with the grief of losing her husband, the love of her life, and doesn’t know how to get over it. Her mother, Abigail, struggles to deal with a broken marriage, and Fleur’s teenage daughter, Kelly, has to deal with trying to start a new life in a remote village with a broke mother. These women are definitely not defined by their struggles – in fact, what connects the three generations is their talent for art, all in their own right. This might have been my favourite part of the show.
It’s hard to capture grief on screen, and many creators, big and small, struggle to do so. But Tuiskoms throws it at you in an unexpected and sudden way, so you don’t really have time to prepare. A bit like real life. No, I didn’t actually cry, but I definitely choked up, which I think is still fantastic for a show I’m watching on my laptop screen in a language I’m hearing for the first time. Tuiskoms seamlessly weaves her comedy-of-errors style with her handling of grief. It’s not overwhelmingly sad – in fact, it’s hopeful and charming – but it does occasionally remind you of the reality of life and how its cyclical nature will eventually catch up with you.
I love how the show moves from the usual trope of a great father-daughter relationship, where the mother becomes almost a semi-villain, to these women forging their own bond amidst the chaos. It feels raw and realistic – not just the teenage angst we see from Kelly, who occasionally scorns her mother, but also from Fleur. Despite being flawed women, all three are engaging, charming and wonderfully relatable in their own ways. Last year, I watched a series called Envious, which also tried to show us a character with flaws, but basically makes her flaws her personality, which I didn't like very much. That's why I think Tuiskoms is worth watching if you're a woman who can feel lonely.
The 7-part series is easy to watch, with each episode lasting about 45 minutes. Although there are some dramatic moments and sometimes, very oddly, Fleur can get on your nerves, you can't help but like her and her wonderful family. But of course, it's not just the writing and directing that makes a series a success, but also the acting. Amilia Uys carries the series with ease and you really identify with her as the series progresses, rooting for her to be happy in the end. Michelle Botes (RIP) plays Abigail in her last on-screen role and is a wonderful character.
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