Few more truthful-seeming dramas about sexual repression have appeared in recent years than this one from Oliver Hermanus. Nor has there been a better performance in the central role than that of Deon Lotz as François, a gay husband and father fighting against his desire for the handsome son of a long-lost friend (Charlie Keegan).
François is hardly a hero. He is a racist Afrikaner who tells his wife nothing and has occasional assignations with gay co-workers. Gradually, however, his obsession with the young man, who is clearly not gay, takes over his life.
The conservative environment of Bloemfontein and the fleshpots of Cape Town are well expressed in a beautifully shot film that avoids melodrama. Not surprisingly, the film won the Queer Palm at the 2011 Cannes Festival and Lotz won Best Actor at the South African Film Awards.
