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The Wound

2017-04-19 Drama 1hr 28m

Eastern Cape, South Africa. A lonely factory worker, Xolani, takes time off his job to assist during an annual Xhosa circumcision initiation into manhood. In a remote mountain camp that is off limits to women, young men, painted in white ochre, recuperate as they learn the masculine codes of their culture. In this environment of machismo and aggression, Xolani cares for a defiant initiate from Johannesburg, Kwanda, who quickly learns Xolani's best kept secret, that he is in love with another man.

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Storyline

Eastern Cape, South Africa. A lonely factory worker, Xolani, takes time off his job to assist during an annual Xhosa circumcision initiation into manhood. In a remote mountain camp that is off limits to women, young men, painted in white ochre, recuperate as they learn the masculine codes of their culture. In this environment of machismo and aggression, Xolani cares for a defiant initiate from Johannesburg, Kwanda, who quickly learns Xolani's best kept secret, that he is in love with another man.

  • Released
    2017-04-19
  • Revenue
    $142,684
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 28m
  • Genre
    Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    Afrikaans, English
  • imdb-logo
    6.8
  • Production
    Riva Film, ZDF/Arte, Sampek Productions, OAK Motion Pictures, Urucu Media, Cool Take Pictures, Deuxième Ligne Films, Figjam Entertainment, Edition Salzgeber, ZDF

Crew

John Trengove
Director
John Trengove
Writer
Elias Ribeiro
Producer
Keywords:
homophobia circumcision south africa in the closet initiation rite of passage masculinity banned african customs circumcision ritual traditional leader traditional culture eastern cape

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Cast

Nakhane

Nakhane
Xolani
Bongile Mantsai

Bongile Mantsai
Vija
Niza Jay Ncoyini

Niza Jay Ncoyini
Kwanda
Thobani Mseleni

Thobani Mseleni
Babalo
Gamelihle Bovana

Gamelihle Bovana
Initiate
Halalisani Bradley Cebekhulu

Halalisani Bradley Cebekhulu
Initiate
Inga Qwede

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Sibabalwe Ngqayana

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Siphosethu Ngcetane

Siphosethu Ngcetane
Initiate

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Wound
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-08-12

"Xolani" or just "X" (Nakhane) left his Xhosa tribe to find work in the city, but has now returned as a "caregiver" to help the young men pr... read more

"Xolani" or just "X" (Nakhane) left his Xhosa tribe to find work in the city, but has now returned as a "caregiver" to help the young men prepare for their impending initiation into manhood. This essentially involves being covered in a white paint and preparing for a circumcision that was as likely to lead to terminal infection as to anything else. He reunites with his married friend "Vija" (Bongile Mantsai) and we quickly discover that's their is an unconventional friendship - and one that is best kept under wraps. That proves much more difficult when one of his initiates - "Kwanda" (Niza Jay) cottons on and it's clear that he can, and will, cause trouble. What follows is a poignantly told story of two men treading on eggshells. They must reconcile their own feelings with their responsibilities to their families, community and culture, and as events begin to spiral out of control it falls to "X" to make some very difficult choices and take some equally drastic action. There isn't loads of dialogue here, the photography and the simplicity of the surroundings do most of the heavy lifting as we observe their drama unfolding against a backdrop of attitudes that can make you wince at times. On the face of it, you could make some value judgments about "Kwanda" but when the context of their societal values is presented to us, that's not quite so simple as us Westerners might expect. This has a very natural feel to it, the characters seem plausible and they do engage. It's worth ninety minutes, for sure.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by CinemaSerf

"Xolani" or just "X" (Nakhane) left his Xhosa tribe to find work in the city, but has now returned as a "caregiver" to help the young men prepare for their impending initiation into manhood. This essentially involves being covered in a whit...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-08-12

"Xolani" or just "X" (Nakhane) left his Xhosa tribe to find work in the city, but has now returned as a "caregiver" to help the young men prepare for their impending initiation into manhood. This esse...

read more