Johannesburg - When director David Enright decided to pursue the now-hit documentary Devilsdorp, he knew he had a good show on his hands.
But even he couldn’t have foreseen the huge success that the show would have in the months to follow.
“I was very proud of it as a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into the making of it,” Enright told the Saturday Star.
“But I must admit, I was surprised and positively overwhelmed by the huge success of the show resonated with such a broad audience, which does give you a sense of accomplishment.”
“Especially seeing that one of the many goals with Devilsdorp was to initiate those all-important conversations about critical thinking and discernment, which is something it seemed to have achieved. But I always like to evaluate what I could have improved on or how I can sharpen my skills.
Now Enright is back with yet another gripping documentary.
This time, he has brought to life a documentary about the Stella Murders.
“Stella Murders”, now streaming on Showmax, is a feature-length film which investigates the deaths of best friends Sharnelle Hough (17) and Marna Engelbrecht (16) at their hostel at Stella High School in North West.
On Saturday morning, 26 May 2018, Sharnelle was found hanging by the staircase and Marna was discovered in a bathroom, with both deaths believed to be suicides. By sunset, a series of events leads to a shocking twist.
Enright says he felt compelled to bring the story to life.
“Documentaries are such a powerful medium. I have a huge appreciation for the ability of documentaries to provide value to audiences, sometimes in very unexpected ways.”
What took place in Stella was shocking, and the impact has been far-reaching. The trauma these families and communities experienced first-hand is almost like a microcosm of what South Africa is also experiencing. The irony is that when we allow ourselves to fully experience our emotions and work through them, we lessen the grip they hold on us.
“I saw an opportunity to break the mould of the true crime genre and tell this story in a way that hopefully provides catharsis. A good cry usually helps, and I think most South Africans need a good cry right now.”
Enright says he was intrigued by the case.
“I am going to be intentionally vague here. There is a perturbation regarding the confession versus denial aspects of this case. It is a dichotomy that makes you question many aspects of nature versus nurture, the culture and societal norms that might cultivate gender-based violence, and how insular thinking may be unintentionally passing on trauma from generation to generation with horrendous consequences.
“I believe that sparking conversation around these complex topics is an important step in the difficult journey to enact societal change. Conversations have the ability to lead to action, and action is needed for that societal change. My hope is that Stella Murders helps to facilitate this after audiences have had some time to ruminate.”
The award-winning director says while he had thoroughly enjoyed sinking his teeth into the documentary, he was faced with a number of challenges when shooting the film.
“Understandably, we experienced quite a lot of resistance from certain members of the community, even though we approached the project compassionately and ethically, with the blessings of the family members of Sharnelle and Marna and all the correct paperwork in hand.”
“Someone put one of the letters we’d written on Facebook saying, ‘Can this just stop?’ with my name and personal phone number. Then someone else came back to say they didn’t agree with making a documentary because it’s slimy to tell a story like this for commercial gain. So we had some heavy discussions. It became important for me to prove the doubters wrong.”
He says the documentary was one of the most challenging projects he has worked on.
“This, coupled with the grief-stricken nature of this tragedy, how recently the incident had occurred, and the resistance inherent in a small, tight-knit community in mourning, made Stella Murders, emotionally, one of the most challenging projects I have ever worked on.
“Reflecting on this, one realises that it is faint in comparison to what trauma the families and community experienced. It puts things into perspective and serves as a driving force for me to really do the telling of this story justice, maintain the dignity of those affected, and handle it with the respect and sensitivity it requires.”
Enright says he had to fully immerse himself in the case in order to produce the best documentary possible.
“As a director, among other things, you are the custodian of the content and creative approach. You are the interviewer and the person to take on a journey of trust and compassion with the interviewees. You have to be aware of each little detail in the story, study the archive, police dockets and case files. You see the project through from beginning to end to make sure the story is told effectively, with balance and promises kept.
“It affects one emotionally, but noticing the positive effect shared experiences have on those involved keeps you motivated. There is something truly profound that happens when experiences are shared. Having someone listen, creating a safe space for others to express themselves where they otherwise might not have had this outlet; it is extremely powerful.”
Asked whether it was a challenge to get interviewees on board to agree to interviews for the documentary, Enright says: “It is an emotional but very intuitive process for me. I believe I have a relatively good understanding of human behaviour, and I am compassionate by nature, but it is a process I don’t undertake lightly.
“Knowing that people are going to give me openness and vulnerability comes with an ethical responsibility I take seriously. I try to give back something to those brave enough to share their stories so that whatever we film benefits them as well. Whether it is as little interference as possible or not, creating an intimidating environment. Or if I take them down a dark road, I’ll make a lot of effort to make sure I bring them back to a safe place of mental stability.
“I do believe sometimes you have to scratch open the wound to allow it to fully heal.”
Enright says he isn’t focused on whether his new documentary Stella Murders will have the same impact on audiences as Devilsdorp. Instead, he wants this to have its own identity.
“It is another way to be respectful in telling the story of these tragic events, giving the story the best possible chance to make an impact on audiences, to add that value we set out to achieve.
“Although I always try to keep my finger on the pulse of what audiences would appreciate within different genres and have a good amount of experience with complex storytelling, it remains difficult to truly gauge what the reception from the audience will be.
“My team and I have done a lot of effort to craft a documentary that tries to add much more value than the traditional true-crime documentary experience, as I believe audiences are clever and able to appreciate the subtle deeper layers of story-telling and meaningfulness offered in Stella Murders.”
Enright says he is not able to give details of his future projects.
“As a freelance director, my life is a bit of a continuous "NDA" at this stage. I have to ensure that any new true-crime undertaking also aligns with my values and principles. It has to add some sort of value, so I will not just take on any new project. But I do try to alternate my project so that I do something light or inspirational, among the more emotional undertakings.”
“It keeps my mental health in check. Although, I do joke that I decided to do something light after Devilsdorp and ended up doing Survivor South Africa after that, one of the most technically challenging shows on television.
“I it does bring me great pleasure to take on different projects because challenges fascinate me. Every project is different, and there is only one constant: I know there are things I don't know. It excites me. The unknown of every new project brings with it a set of unique challenges, and it is precisely in those challenges that opportunities lie.”