Les Initiés

Saw this movie at the Berlinale film festival 2017, where it was part of the Panorama section and programmed at the opening night. It has two main story lines. The first one shows the initiation rites itself. What these rituals entail is actually a taboo and details are not assumed to come out in the open, but nowadays it is less a taboo than it ever has been. Descriptions can be found in several recent books, for example one by Nelson Mandela. I consider this the documentary half of the movie. The second story line is the dramatic developments around the still dormant relationship of two men, Xolani and Vija. Their relationship existed for a long time but they lost track of each other, yet we see that it may be dormant but still partly active at the time of the initiation rites at hand. Like everywhere else in the world same-sex love is also a taboo in South Africa, but again less a taboo that is ever has been. Both plot lines come together at the remote terrain where the initiation rites will take its traditional course.

Kwanda is one of the young men to be initiated in the customs and traditions of the ancient tribes. Circumcision is part of the ritual plus a subsequent healing process under supervision of their respective caregivers. Kwanda's father asked Xolani as caregiver for Kwanda, and told him to be very strict with Kwanda as his mother had spoiled him too much. Vija is a caregiver of even three young men, who however do not play a role important enough to be mentioned by name. A particular detail about Xolani is, when passing through these rites as a young man, his experience was extra traumatic as he had no caregiver to support him, and had to cope on his own and to find out everything by himself.

In a side story line we see that Kwanda does not really blend in with the rest of the initiates. Some people explain it as simple jealousy (Kwanda wore much better shoes than the rest, his family had more money, and that he grew up in the city counts too). Others say that it is because he deviates from the rituals, for example by refusing to give a speech as we see all others do. In a later scene we see his shoes taken from him, but as he clearly takes a stand that he does not like it, he gets them back, contrary to what we see in movies with high school bullying as main topic. Later on, probably by making clear that he is able to speak out and stand up when needed, we see that he is not permanently kept away from the other initiates, but still remains not fully accepted as one of them though.

There comes a moment, about at two thirds of the running time, that the story blurs. It starts with changing focus away from the initiation rituals. We following our three main characters who see a daunting task before them to find their own way out of the situation that has grown between Xolani, Vija, and Kwanda. The latter has seen the other two in flagrant circumstances, but explicitly states that their secret is safe with him. Vija apparently does not trust him with their secret and chases Kwanda in the woods. From this moment on, each of the threesome faces his own problems how to deal with the outside world when returning from the initiation camp. And each has to find his own way out, which is the central theme of the last one third of the movie.

From the final Q&A I noted some pieces of information about South Africa without verification, yet relevant for the above. Their national constitution is very liberal and has no problems with same-sex relationships, even to the extent that South Africa was the third country in the world to allow same-sex marriages, long before it became mainstream in the Western countries. Roughly speaking, in some parts of the larger cities, same-sex relationships are more or less "normal", as far as normal goes when ample people have problems with its existence in the first place. On the other hand, in other parts of the same cities, it is not accepted at all, nor is it tolerated outside the big cities.

All in all, the above is presented in an informative as well as compelling way. The movie is partly a documentary and partly taking a stand on same-sex relationships packaged in a coherent story. As far as the documentary is concerned, rest assured that the fine details of the circumcision are suggested rather than shown, so there is virtually no blood in the movie other than with some inevitable fights with so many men together. The dramatic developments around the same-sex relationship between Xolani and Vija are shown in more detail on two occasions, but it does not dominate the screenplay at all. The predetermined setup of having two story lines, documentary next to a same-sex relationship drama, was confirmed in the final Q&A by the film makers. As said before, informative as well as compelling, thus a perfect way to open the Panaroma section of the Berlinale 2017.

"The Wound" feels like a documentary. I looked it up on IMDB to be sure it wasn't. Tribal coming of age for males, gay love, elder denial, useless cruelty...it's all in this powerful story. As violent as it often is, it's a film worth watching for its honest treatment of ancient stories. A true remedy for vacuous films coming out of Hollywood.

Tackling head-on the cultural taboos of sexuality during a very traditional coming of age ritual in South Africa and hopefully going some way to educate and inform those who still live in the past and have yet to evolve from those traditions and beliefs.

This film has caused controversy in South Africa because of the secrecy surrounding initiation, and it will be viewed by Xhosa very much as a hostile white man's view of the practice. There is little about the cutting (nothing is shown) but much about homophobia and bullying. It is clear that the filmmakers think (as I do) the idea that initiation makes boys into men is hollow.

It's a slow-burning drama with three central characters, Xolani ("X") a caregiver to a single initiate, Kwanda, among a group of about 10, three of whom are cared for by Vija. X has sex annually at the initiations with Vija, who is married (shades of Brokeback Mountain), but their relationship is ambiguous. Kwanda's sexuality is unclear, but coming from Johannesburg, he is more urbane than the others, and suspect for that reason. He is called a "faggot" but more as a general-purpose insult.

The initiates are all cut early on in the film; there is mention of painful herbs being applied, and infections, but not the significant risk of death. Near the end, Kwanda, who has said very little, dismisses the importance of the genital cutting (without actually denouncing it). The irony is that he _has_ matured from his experience on the mountain, but not in the way the traditionalists imagine. Another irony is that X seems to have learnt from his pupil.

What the film very much brings out is the urban-rural, traditional-modern tension in South Africa, though the setting is entirely traditional. I recommend it to urban people for a glimpse into a very different culture - that yet throws light on our own.

A South African film was on show for the opening night of the Berlinale. Directed by John Trengove, it's the story of Xolani, set against the backdrop of a local circumcision initiation ritual. Barely had I settled into my seat, that penises were being sliced up at the edge of a forest, in ad-hoc conditions. So, yeah, it caught my attention.

The whole story though finds itself at an interesting intersection between tradition, homosexuality and validation. For Xolani, who otherwise works in the city, it's the yearly return 'in the mountains', to meet Vija, the man he loves. For Kwanda, Xolani's initiate, it's the pressure to conform with alpha male stereotypes. For most of the other participants, it's a last stand in the face of modern turpitude, both a rite of passage into manhood and a rite of separation from the others.

The first half or so of the movie, which sets the scene and introduces the characters, is almost fascinating. With strong acting all around, it's easy to get sucked into the experience and what's even more impressive, is the manner in which Trengove infuses such sensibility in something that otherwise could count as butch. The contrasting personalities are wrought with tension, culminating in some beautiful moments of just…being. It all comes to life thanks to commanding craftsmanship and an eye for strong visuals, which is one consistent feature throughout.

Unfortunately, the latter part of the film elects to go for a more traditional exposition and resolution, with uneven pacing. What's worse though is the characters losing some of their sharpness, especially in scenes where they are turned into mere rhetoric tools. By the time the finale came around, I felt waywardly uninvolved. It's like the need for relevance and clarity became overbearing.

All things considered, The Wound stands as a film that, at its best, conveys a unique poetic restraint. It might not shine all the way through, yet it provides insight into a corner of the world that's usually left in the dark, tackling some big themes on the way. I would never want to fault someone for being too ambitious, so The Wound gets my recommendation.