Showmax ‘Original Sin’: A mom comes to terms with having a killer son
In ‘Original Sin’, Thea Pretorius details how her son killed his girlfriend and how she helped him escape.
‘Original Sin: My Son The Killer’ premieres 22 March on Showmax. Photo: YouTube/Showmax (screenshot)
Aubrey Masango speaks to the show’s editorial producer Jana Marx and director John Gutierrez.
Listen below.
‘Original Sin’ follows Thea Pretorius, the mother of Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren, who murdered his 25-year-old girlfriend Andrea Venter.
He escaped authorities for years, taking on different identities and starting families with several women.
After helping him escape, Pretorius slowly came to terms with her son being a killer.
This is not a typical whodunnit, says Marx.
“We really delve into some of the whys… There are quite a few factors that could have contributed to Andrea's murder.”
- Jana Marx, editorial producer
Guitierrez, a novice director of documentaries, says he has never delved into true crime, because it can be disturbing.
“It’s a lot of dark subject matter and you have to be willing to go in there and live with that darkness for a long time… But as an artist, that’s where the serious work is, looking at the things that do frighten you.”
- John Gutierrez, Director
“I just saw connections in the hyper-masculine society that I grew up in in America as well as South Africa and I began to see parallels. I didn’t just want to make a film about a brutal killing… I wanted to tell a story about a woman’s bravery, about a woman who was not only a victim but found real strength to change and find redemption.”
- John Gutierrez, Director
‘Original Sin: My Son The Killer’ premieres on 22 March on Showmax.
Watch the documentary trailer below:
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.