lovegroveao

I was looking forward to this film, but was disappointed. I thought there was too much concentration on the brutality of the training and not enough on the war. I wanted some historical background as to why the communists in Angola presented a threat to apartheid, and why they needed to fight on the border. Also, the division between English speakers and Afrikaans was taken for granted with no explanation. Then there was what was a central theme, homosexuality. One boy traumatised by his experience as a young voyeur, and the other possibly sent for electrotherapy, I wasn't sure. I would have thought that a more satisfactory ending would have been the two helping to heal each other. No doubt being gay in that culture would be severely verboten, but the film surrenders to that prejudice rather than seeking a means to negotiate around it. The attraction between the two was ultimately rendered meaningless, both left isolated and unhappy. Ultimately, it was a very bleak story.

Other reviewers have pointed out flaws in this film. 9th grade is clearly inappropriate, and the new boy sequence is a worn-out cliche. In several respects, this film could have been more imaginatively conceived. However in a time when we are ever more concerned with mental health issues and their root causes, this film is an interesting exploration of deep trauma affecting psychological health in later life. I am not sure if Jonas wins through in the end, maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. Nonetheless, a moving story. For anyone who thinks that anti-gay sentiment in schools is a thing of the past, think again.

This is a pleasantly developed story, well acted and directed. The two themes interweave - coming to see a bullying father for what he is, and using the character of a gay friend to help Martin, who is the victim of his own father's anger, arrive at freedom and self-assurance. This is one gay character who is not angst ridden, but comfortable in his own life and consequently able to be a guide and support. The final sequence shows self-doubt being finally overcome. This is not an action movie, but a story of psychological development. It is of the utmost importance when watching this film to read the subtitles carefully. The film is slow in parts because these are teenagers given time to say things they find it hard to express. There is a lot of time given to plucking up courage. A good film, and I enjoyed it.