Film: “Moffie” (2021)

Those of us of a certain age may remember pre-Mandela South Africa, when the country was ruled by white Afrikaners who lived and died by apartheid. It is in this milieu that we find ourselves in “Moffie,” Oliver Hermanus’ depiction of army life in 1981 South Africa. (Side note: “moffie” is Afrikaans for “faggot.”)

Nick (played by Kai Luke Brummer, a ringer for the young Michael York) is 16 years old when he is drafted into the Army to fight “Communism” in Angola. The basic training he endures may best be described as a cross between what Thomas Hobbes called “nasty, short, and brutish” life and a 1930s prison movie.

Recruits are beaten, humiliated, and God forbid they should be accused of being gay. They will be sent to “Ward 22” a psycho ward where even more savagery awaits. This proves problematic for Nick, who is discovering his own attraction to men.

Absolutely gorgeous cinematography and a striking score (a mixture of Bach and 12-tone) make this an interesting but not must-see flick. It’s neither fish nor fowl: is it an LGBT movie? Anti-apartheid? Anti-military? A bit of all of the above? All things to all people makes for nothing to any people.

Certainly may give one pause if you are thinking of a trip through the South African veldt after glamping through your chic safari a few hours north.