South African director Oliver Hermanus' film Moffie is a beautifully shot period piece depicting the experiences of a young conscript during his military service. The movie certainly has wonderful elements in terms of cinematography, aesthetics, musical choices or intensity of the topic and themes. The overarching theme of the movie is not evolving around race but sexual oppression at a time when being gay in Apartheid South Africa meant living the life of an outcast and criminal. Hence the title Moffie, an Afrikaan derogatory slang word for a gay person.
It is a coming-of-age story, centered around formative moments in the life of a sensitive young gay man, Nicholas, as he enters compulsory military service in 1981. There, he endures endless humiliation and is exposed to daily brutality and bullying that leaves us deeply unsettled. We see the world through Nicholas' eyes and even though he remains mainly a distant observer, we witness his tortured psyche and wished for him to be at a different place - at a different time when he is allowed to love without living in fear.
The film comes with an intriguing new angle, it's watch is a tough one but the powerful story makes it all worthwhile.
It is a coming-of-age story, centered around formative moments in the life of a sensitive young gay man, Nicholas, as he enters compulsory military service in 1981. There, he endures endless humiliation and is exposed to daily brutality and bullying that leaves us deeply unsettled. We see the world through Nicholas' eyes and even though he remains mainly a distant observer, we witness his tortured psyche and wished for him to be at a different place - at a different time when he is allowed to love without living in fear.
The film comes with an intriguing new angle, it's watch is a tough one but the powerful story makes it all worthwhile.