Wound runs deep
Controversial tale throws light on little-known aspect of gay identity in southern Africa
Words: Guy Lodge
FILM OF THE MONTH
5/5
THE WOUND
Nakhane Touré, Bongile Mantsai, Niza Jay Ncoyini
It doesn’t feel like an exaggeration to say we’re in a golden age of queer cinema right now, as the range and breadth of LGBT+ stories reaching our screens gets ever more diverse. You’ve almost certainly never seen a gay drama quite like South African director John Trengove’s fearless and powerful debut, which fascinatingly mixes universal themes of repressed and oppressed sexuality with a wholly indigenous study of tribal tradition. As a closeted rural factory worker (Touré) is assigned to mentor a reluctant urban teen (Ncoyini) through the Xhosa tribe’s much-debated ritual of adolescent circumcision, a heated tangle of cultural, generational and sexual conflicts come to the surface, challenging entrenched ideas of masculinity. Initially banned on its home turf, this is a fierce, riveting fire-starter of a film, shedding vital light on a little-seen corner of African gay identity. 27 April