Moffie

Moffie (2020) is Oliver Hermanus' war drama, available to watch online on iFILM. South Africa, 1981: every white boy over sixteen is conscripted for two years and shipped toward the Angolan border. One of them, Nicholas, has spent his whole life hiding the fact that he is drawn to men.

Boot camp is a machine built on cruelty and racist drilling, and "moffie" is the slur the recruits throw at anyone like him. Weakness gets punished; tenderness could get you killed. Even so, Nick catches the eye of another conscript who looks back the same way. Kai Luke Brummer carries the role almost wordlessly — all glances, held breath and the fear of being seen.

Adapted from André Carl van der Merwe's autobiographical novel, the film became one of the most talked-about pieces of South African cinema of its decade. Restrained, sun-bleached and free of sermonizing, it cuts deep. Stream Moffie (2020) online on iFILM.