This dark and rather dismal coming of age tale is set South Africa’s central Free State province inhabited by Afrikaners made up of isolated farms where time seems to have stopped still. In fact it really is difficult to work out if this a period piece or not, and it is only the eventual sighting of a cellphone that the penny drops that this is in fact a contemporary drama.
This is the story of a devoutly religious family who take the bible and their faith very literally so when a neighbor turns up with Pieter (Alex van Dyk) a tough juvenile delinquent they allow themselves to be persuaded to foster him as part of their family. unit. He is the son of a prostitute who killed herself and a drug-dealing addict and also has his own drug problem so his immersement into their home is no easy thing.
It particularly hits Janno (Brent Vermeulen) the teenage son of the family who we eventually learn had also been fostered/adopted when he had been an abandoned baby. Now he feels threatened that the newcomer will usurp his position in the household by stealing both the affection of his mother, and also even becoming the heir of the farm.
The two boys couldn’t be more different. The stocky sullen Janno obediently obeys his father who works him hard like an adult farm laborer, whereas skinny damaged Pieter, still recovering from withdrawal of what drugs he had been taken doesn’t work at all no and has no intention too. The difficulty arises when the father instructs Janno to keep an eye on Pieter and guide him, but the problem is not only does he quietly envy his freedom but this closeted youth may also secretly harbor some lust for him too. It may be a case that not only does Janno want to be like Pieter but he wants to be with him too.
Peiter however is more interested in pursuing local girls in the nearby scrubby small town, but is also not adverse to picking up ‘johns’ and servicing them to get money to fund his habits. As rough and dangerous as it seems almost glamorous to Janno who’s own life seems to be hard labor intermingled with one bible class after another .
After Peiter’s latest skirmish with trouble, his parents pack him off to a religious Man Camp, and when he returns somewhat refreshed he also ends up physically fighting with Janno after he reveals that he knows about his lusting after his school chums.
Their conflict is set against a much larger one with the Afrikaner white ethnic minority population now fearfully of their lives as there is a spree of farmers being murdered and their farms being confiscated. It may not be an issue that is at the front of the boy’s mind however as they are totally focused on their own lives and worried about what the future may not hold for them
This exploration of identity and sexuality is the feature film debut of Greek born South African writer/director Etienne Kallos. His movie unwinds slowly as it shows a culture so alien to most of us (although it does bare more than a passing resemblance to the American Midwest). What particularly sets it above the norm is the remarkable performance of the untrained Vermeulen making his acting debut as Janno with a pitch perfect performance that shows every nuance of this confused teenager’s life. Lets’ hope he continues to act in the future, as he is such a natural.
Labels: 2019, coming of age, South African
