Behind the scenes of sporty local movie ‘Daryn’s Gym’

Committing to one’s fitness goals can be a pain and not the best sort. Sticking to your fitness regimen after the drive from early in the year has dried up can be laborious, but it’s this determination to succeed that propels the hero of local flick Daryn's Gym.

The movie follows Daryn (played by Clifford Joshua Young), who is in a David vs Goliath war with rival gym owner Funi (Hlubi Mboya). The mockumentary follows the mischief and mayhem that ensues as both parties aim to make their dreams come true.

To better understand what went into bringing the macho men and women of the movie to life we speak to award-winning costume designer Nerine Pienaar.

What process do you go through when preparing for a production?

When I design for a script I break it down and for each actor I draft an emotional timeline, and according to the timelines, I design their wardrobe to support their emotional feelings.

Colours can have much symbolic meaning. Was this something you considered when styling the characters in Daryn’s Gym?

We were playing between reds or maroons, but when we got to the gym set for the first time maroon was the perfect fit. I brought in a lot more colour with Daryn, Starla (Natasha Sutherland) and Funi’s personal clothes.

Speaking of Hlubi, her character is such a fun antagonist to watch. How did you go about crafting her look?

It was fantastic — Hlubi and I worked together on my first big job, Isidingo, where I was head of the department. When we met again we went into the character’ personality.

Funi is this strong powerful woman, so we needed to show how successful she is and how much of a workaholic she is. The only time I dressed her softer was when she was in her house.

Daryn wore his uniform a lot in the movie. What went into creating his overall style?

I brought in a lot of remnants of his father, so when he goes to sleep he wears his father’s gown. When you see him you feel sorry for this poor dude, so we brought a bit of comedy into him while he was a security guard, washing cars and when he was an Uber driver. He is one of those people who goes all the way.

Because he is so rigid and didn’t bring a lot of funkiness into the gym’s wardrobe, we put him in a lot of old-fashioned pants while we made Jackson (Siv Ngesi) a lot sexier with the gym pants and shorts. They all try to respect Daryn, but also push their own boundaries.

A lot of the women in the movie are curvy or have a muscular build. What pointers would you give for dressing in or out of the gym for these body types?

My advice would be to embrace your body. We are in Africa, nobody can understand our bodies. Figure out your body and embrace it. Nobody is built perfectly — not even the stars on TV. 

I hate when people go shopping and look for classic items. You should at least go for accessories that show your personality.

Everyone is starting to dress up again with Covid-19 lockdown levels staying low. Is there a way to play around with accessories while gyming without hurting ourselves?

I’m not big on gym, I am more of a yogi. I think accessories such as watches, headbands and armbands play a big role. Brands are having more fun, so you can still look sexy while gyming. 

I remember going shopping at a sportswear shop for my son and seeing all those items and thinking “if I was 21 I would rock these outfits!” What’s great about nowadays is that you can wear your gym clothes anywhere — it’s not as rigid. What’s great about Covid-19 is that people are not scared to use lots of colours in their sneakers.   Even the funky socks that men are wearing to the gym now.

What do you hope people can take from the Daryn's Gym story?

The great thing about Daryn is that he didn’t give up. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel, especially with Covid-19. SA and the world need to laugh.