The Wound

The Wound

2017 · 88 min · XH · 6.4 (51 votes)
Dir. John Trengove · Starring Nakhane, Bongile Mantsai, Niza Jay Ncoyini, Thobani Mseleni, Gabriel Mini, Zwelakhe Mtsaka
Drama

Eastern Cape, South Africa. A lonely factory worker, Xolani, takes time off his job to assist during an annual Xhosa circumcision initiation into manhood. In a remote mountain camp that is off limits to women, young men, painted in white ochre, recuperate as they learn the masculine codes of their culture. In this environment of machismo and aggression, Xolani cares for a defiant initiate from Johannesburg, Kwanda, who quickly learns Xolani's best kept secret, that he is in love with another man.

VIBE

A deeply felt, yet restrained drama exploring the weight of tradition and the quiet desperation of hidden desires. It’s a film that lingers, marked by its stark beauty and raw emotional honesty.

introspectivetensemelancholicvulnerableslow-burnarthouse dramacharacter-drivensocial realismintimatemasculinityidentityforbidden lovetradition vs modernitysecrecy
▶ Stream on Kino Film Collection
homophobiacircumcisionsouth africagay interestin the closetinitiationrite of passagemasculinitybannedafrican customscircumcision ritualtraditional leadertraditional cultureeastern cape
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