Screening on 15/02/19
Sponsored by Special Edition Chocolate
South Africa 2017
Dir: John Trengove
Starring: Nakhane Touré, Bongile Mantsai, Niza Jay Ncoyini
Cert 15
88 mins
An ancient rite of passage into manhood in South Africa’s Xhosa community is at the heart of this fascinating and assured début feature. The ritual involves group circumcision, followed by a two week healing period, with each teenage boy being assigned an elder to impart the traditional codes of masculinity. Rich city boy Kwanda is sent by his father to undergo the ritual in the hope of “toughening him up”, under the guidance of factory worker Xolani. Kwanda’s barely suppressed homosexual leanings are simmering under the surface, and in the homo-erotic atmosphere of the ritual he can’t help but notice the mutual attraction between Xolani and another elder, Vija. Well received on the festival circuit, “The Wound” is a perceptive study of tradition, sexuality and class, against the dramatic backdrop of the Eastern Cape mountains.
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