Underplayed Gems

Moffie (2019)

Moffie poster
Directed by
Oliver Hermanus
Genre
drama film, LGBTQ-related film
Country
South Africa, United Kingdom
Runtime
1h 44m
Rated
NR
Rating
6.7 of 10 from 99 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

During apartheid, a young gay man is forced into the South African army. He struggles to hide his attraction to another soldier in a brutal, homophobic environment.

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What happens

Moffie is a 2019 biographical war romantic drama film co-written and directed by Oliver Hermanus. Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by André Carl van der Merwe, the film depicts mandatory conscription into the notorious South African Defence Force (SADF) during apartheid through the eyes of a young closeted character Nicholas van der Swart (Kai Luke Brümmer) as he attempts to hide his attraction to another gay recruit (Ryan de Villiers) in a hostile environment. The title derives from a homophobic slur in South Africa used to police masculinity. The film had its world premiere release at the Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2019. It also had its special screenings at other film festivals and received a number of accolades in various categories. Its original 2020 theatrical release was disrupted by the Covid 19 pandemic. Distributed by Curzon Cinemas in the UK and IFC Films in the US, it was made available to stream and released in select cinemas in 2021. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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