KykNet has unveiled the trailer for the upcoming drama The Heart is a Muscle, written and directed by Imran Hamdulay. The film premiered at the 2025 Silwerskermfees in Cape Town, where it took home the award for Best Feature Film. It hits local cinemas on 12 September, with a KykNet debut to follow at a later date.
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What’s it About? (Spoilers!)
Ryan is in his mid-thirties, a father celebrating his son Jude’s fifth birthday with his wife Laila. They invite friends over for a barbecue. The children run wild with excitement while adults talk, laugh, and enjoy the food.
The lively atmosphere crashes when Jude suddenly vanishes. Panic spreads, and everyone begins searching in a frenzy. Ryan hears Jude may have wandered into an area controlled by gangs, and in fear, he drives there.
He lashes out at a man, certain he is involved, only to later realise the man is innocent. Not long after, Jude reappears, grinning over his prank, unaware of the fear he caused.
Relief floods through the group, but the day no longer feels the same. Friends argue, frustrations boil over, and Ryan’s past begins to rise to the surface.
Later, the man Ryan attacked arrives demanding money. He is also raising a young child, and his path once crossed Ryan’s during their teenage years, creating an uncomfortable history that now comes back to confront him.
The Heart is a Muscle tackles the way trauma passes from one generation to the next. Men carry the weight of what came before them, often in silence.
The story challenges the old idea that being a man means holding it in. It shows that real strength can also be found in sharing, forgiving, and facing emotions head-on. Healing doesn’t happen quickly, and the film shows the fight it takes.
With performances from Danny Ross, Melissa Mel de Vries, and Roby Rossouw, the cast roots the story in something local and honest.
Filming took place over three weeks in Cape Town, including Simon’s Town, Wynberg, Grassy Park, and Ottery. Ottery’s streets and its people offered exactly the setting the story called for.
For too long, films set on the Cape Flats have circled the same themes of crime and drugs. By stepping away from stories that show the Flats only through crime, The Heart is a Muscle refuses to glorify that kind of violence. The film speaks of friendship, of men wrestling with their own minds, and of a community that carries pride as well as pain. The lead character’s story will feel familiar to many.
Film Credits
Director: Imran Hamdulay
Screenplay: Imran Hamdulay
Cast:
- Keenan Arrison (Ryan)
- Melissa De Vries (Laila)
- Loren Loubser (Meghan)
- Dean Marais (André)
- Ridaa Adams (Zaheer)
- Danny Ross (Anees)
- Troy Paulse (Jude)
- Lincoln Van Wyk (Leslie)
Watch the Trailer for The Heart is a Muscle Below
Author: Editorial Team
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