MOFFIE
de: Südafrika 1981, zur Zeit der Apartheid: Wie alle weißen jungen Männer muss
auch Nicholas Van der Swart seinen zweijährigen Militärdienst leisten, um das Regime vor der Bedrohung durch den Kommunismus
und die „Schwarze Gefahr“ zu verteidigen. Dass Nicholas schwul ist, darf niemand wissen, denn wer in der Truppe als „moffie“
erkannt ist, wird brutal schikaniert und gequält.
en: The year is 1981 and South Africa’s white minority government is embroiled in a conflict on the southern Angolan border. Like all white boys over the age of 16, Nicholas Van der Swart must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the apartheid regime. The threat of communism and “die swart gevaar” (the so-called black danger) is at an all-time high. But that’s not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army – something that becomes even more difficult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit.
Please bring your health-certificates according to the valid corona-prevention measures. Reserved
tickets must be collected up until 30 minutes before the screening.
en: The year is 1981 and South Africa’s white minority government is embroiled in a conflict on the southern Angolan border. Like all white boys over the age of 16, Nicholas Van der Swart must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the apartheid regime. The threat of communism and “die swart gevaar” (the so-called black danger) is at an all-time high. But that’s not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army – something that becomes even more difficult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit.
Please bring your health-certificates according to the valid corona-prevention measures. Reserved
tickets must be collected up until 30 minutes before the screening.de Als
„Moffie“ bezeichnet man in den frühen Achtziger Jahren in Südafrika einen unmännlichen Schwächling, der an der Grenze zur
Illegalität lebt. In diesem Kontext beschreibt der Film die Erfahrungen eines jungen Homosexuellen während seines Militärdienstes
in der Zeit des Apartheid-Regimes. Seit es Ängste schürt angesichts der „Bedrohung“ durch den Kommunismus und die „swart gevaar“
– die vermeintliche Schwarze Gefahr, müssen alle weißen jungen Männer über 16 einen zweijährigen Militärdienst leisten. Nicholas
kann sich dieser Pflicht nicht entziehen, doch seine sexuelle Orientierung bringt ihn in dieser phallokratischen und homophoben
Welt in Gefahr. Die in der Gesellschaft stark verankerte machistische Weltanschauung und ihr institutionalisierter Rassismus
zwingen Nicholas, seine Sexualität vollkommen zu verschweigen. Doch dies wird immer schwieriger, als er zu einem anderen Rekruten
eine komplizenhafte Beziehung entwickelt.
en “Moffie” is Afrikaans slang for “faggot,” and the film, which is based on André Carl van der Merwe’s autobiographical novel of the same name, attempts a bold gesture in reclaiming epithet as an emblem of power. It’s 1981, South Africa, which means it’s not okay to be a “moffie”; effeminacy is a sign of weakness, and being gay is also illegal. It’s also a moment of compulsory military conscription that all (white) boys over the age of 16 must endure, and so that means, as the film begins, Nicholas Van de Swart (Kai Luke Brummer) is readying to ship off to defend colonized land. On its face, the war is between the white minority government and Angola, whose Communism the South African Defense Force wants to stop from spreading; but really, the atrocities as seen inflicted in this movie are governed by the power-seeking regime of Apartheid, and not any real threat.
„One of the Best Films About Gay Repression Ever Is Also a Disturbing Apartheid Story“ indiewire
en “Moffie” is Afrikaans slang for “faggot,” and the film, which is based on André Carl van der Merwe’s autobiographical novel of the same name, attempts a bold gesture in reclaiming epithet as an emblem of power. It’s 1981, South Africa, which means it’s not okay to be a “moffie”; effeminacy is a sign of weakness, and being gay is also illegal. It’s also a moment of compulsory military conscription that all (white) boys over the age of 16 must endure, and so that means, as the film begins, Nicholas Van de Swart (Kai Luke Brummer) is readying to ship off to defend colonized land. On its face, the war is between the white minority government and Angola, whose Communism the South African Defense Force wants to stop from spreading; but really, the atrocities as seen inflicted in this movie are governed by the power-seeking regime of Apartheid, and not any real threat.
„One of the Best Films About Gay Repression Ever Is Also a Disturbing Apartheid Story“ indiewire
