“Eksie Perfeksie” addresses the burning question that keeps most people up at night: Can you really be friends with your exes, without causing chaos?
The Afrikaans comedy on Showmax puts the question front and centre, showcasing how being friends with an ex could be a romantic disaster or the key to an unconventional happily-ever-after.
The story begins with Dalene (Emma van Heyn) and André (Pietie Beyers). From the moment they meet, sparks fly – literally – leading to a hot-and-heavy restroom encounter at a restaurant.
But what starts as passionate encounter quickly turns into full-blown cringe when André realises Dalene’s besties aren’t just her girlfriends –they include her ex-boyfriends as well.
Cue the chaos. Dalene’s exes aren’t just hovering in the background; they’re constantly popping up in her life. They aren’t just casual acquaintances; they know her so well that they even share the same habits.
André, desperate to fit into Dalene’s unusual world, tries to make peace with her exes, but things take a wild turn when he discovers that Dalene’s relationships seem to follow a repetitive, cookie-cutter pattern – down to the very “role play” scenarios she used with her previous lovers. Talk about uncomfortable déjà vu!
When André seeks advice from his sister and her girlfriend, he tries to break the cycle by taking control. But things backfire when Dalene dumps him and adds him to her ever-growing list of “ex-friends”.
He soon finds himself among the other exes, bonding over their shared fate like some kind of bizarre cult meeting.
André eventually breaks free from the exes’ circle. Despite the mess, he’s madly in love with her. And eventually, he has an epiphany where he realises that he might be the problem in all this.
After some soul-searching, the two find their way back to each other, this time with a promise to take things slower – and not just in the bedroom.
Van Heyn described the film perfectly when he said: “It is definitely a movie about self-awareness. To be willing to break patterns that are actually destroying your relationships and your life so that you can move forward.
“If you are willing to grow, it can have wonderful consequences. There are also themes of resistance, reflection and looking at the people around you and your value systems.“
Beyers said: “Love, the choices you make and then how it plays out. Also the question of whether you can be friends with your exes. Is there room for that? Is it realistic and how do new partners feel about it? Is such a thing possible or not? Or is it a grey area where sometimes it is possible and other times not?”
Van Heyn nails the free-spirited and quirky vibe of Dalene while Beyers plays André with just the right mix of confusion and charm as he navigates the romantic minefield.
Together, they make “Eksie Perfeksie” a fun and thoughtful look at relationships, exes and everything in between.