The film, co-written and co-directed by Devon Delmar and Jason Jacobs, has already made a significant impact on the festival circuit, securing the prestigious Tiger Award at this year's International Film Festival Rotterdam and recently screening at the BFI London Film Festival. Now, as South Africa's Oscar entry, it's poised for an even wider audience.

At its heart, Variations on a Theme tells the story of Ouma Hettie, an elderly goat herder from the Kamiesberge region who falls victim to a scam involving reparations for her father's service during World War II. This incident draws her family into a situation more complex than she desires, weaving a tale of resilience against a backdrop of historical and ongoing exploitation.

What truly sets the film apart, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, is its unique production process. Director Devon Delmar revealed that the film's rhythmic and repetitive structure was deliberately designed and executed using a spreadsheet program. "I’ve joked that it’s the only film ever, potentially, to be written on Microsoft Excel," Delmar told THR. This unusual approach was integral to visually representing the film's core themes.

The inspiration for this method stemmed from the very environment where the film is set—Jacobs' hometown in the Kamiesberge. Delmar observed the inherent rhythm of daily life there. "Anyone would be able to observe the routine, the rhythm of this space," he noted, explaining how natural routines become deeply ingrained and possess a distinct musicality. This sense of repetition and cyclical patterns became a foundational element for the film's structure.

This deliberate repetitiveness also mirrors the film's thematic depth. The exploitation faced by villagers in the present day echoes the historical injustices suffered by the protagonist's father in the 1940s and the broader impact of colonization across generations. This idea of history repeating itself, of a cycle of violence and daily routines, became central to the filmmakers' vision.

To achieve this, Delmar and Jacobs borrowed an artistic philosophy from Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, known for his formulaic approach to music. Pärt's method involves starting with a small, core idea and allowing it to unfold into something beautiful and profound. Delmar explained, "We were interested in how we could contain the film into one core idea, and then almost press play on it and let it unfold."

For Variations on a Theme, this meant mapping out five story days with 30 repeating shots across five columns in Excel, ensuring a clockwork precision to the visual narrative. This innovative use of technology allowed the filmmakers to meticulously craft a story that is both deeply personal and universally resonant, offering a fresh take on storytelling that blends traditional cinema with an unexpected digital tool.