Oliver Hermanus explores the toxic masculinity of Apartheid-era South Africa and the twin forces of racism and homophobia that fed it in “Moffie” – a powerful drama about a young gay military conscript trying to remain invisible.
To be a mo?e is to be weak, e?eminate, illegal. The year is 1981 and South Africa’s white minority government is embroiled in a con?ict on the southern Angolan border. Like all white boys over the age of 16, Nicholas Van der Swart must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the Apartheid regime.
The threat of communism and “die swart gevaar” (the so-called black danger) is at an all-time high. But that’s not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army – something that becomes even more di?cult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit.
“ ‘Moffie’ – the piercing, perfectly formed new film from Oliver Hermanus – is a masterpiece in the true sense of the term … one quite stunning feat of formal and narrative artistry, establishing him quite plainly as South Africa’s most vital contemporary filmmaker.” – Variety