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By Roger Costa
THE WOUND
When an industrial worker, living under poor conditions in Johannesburg, accepts his uncle’s assignment to watch over his younger cousin as he’s preparing for a hurtful male tradition, he does so, willing to spend time with his long time lover who had settled in the village. The young boy is part of a coming-of-age ritual, where “the initials” have their penises cut and must complete tasks for their “caregivers”- those responsible to care for them while healing, and to upbringing the essentials of their masculinity. As Xolani maintains a secret and forbidden love affair with another caregiver, the temperamental and explosive Vija, he gradually finds in the boy aspects of himself, and is forced to analyze his own condition as a restrained homosexual, facing prejudice, contempt and the risks of execution. Strangely unique, complex and scandalously realistic, director John Trengove’s feature debut is a ritualistic examination on manhood, cultural traditions and ambiguous sexuality, shot with absorbing naturalism and shockingly exposure on these brutal, yet significant rituals. Trengove conceived a remarkable piece of art, as he brilliantly coordinates extraordinary actors (such as the courageous, determined performance of Nakhane Touré as Xolani) and depicts detailed facts of boys experiencing a cultural clash as they try to endure and survive in a community ruled by machismo and intolerance. Next to “Ixcanul” and “Tanna”, this is one of those unique revelations of an unknown tradition. A Must see! (A Kino Lorber Release. Now Playing at Film Forum NYC.)
MARJORIE PRIME
A winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, director Michael Almereyda’s latest mystery goes deep inside the emotions of an estranged family facing challenges as they put up together pieces of a puzzle invoking their tumultuous relationship. The set is a beach house in the future, where an elderly woman in the process of losing her memory, lives under the care of her daughter and son-in-law. Also at her company, it’s a Hologram that resembles her husband, a computer generated human-form highly intelligent program, created to maintain her memories alive. As she tries to recall the past, she will be taught again about herself, and in the process will learn of unsolved matters, a suicidal relative and other dysfunctional conflicts. Adapted for the screen by Almereyda and Jordan Harrison, based on his own Pulitzer-nominated play, the film is a master class of suspense, punctuated by a heated score, filled with irreverent, sarcastic dialogue and structured with simple, but effective elements of an intoxicating, unknowable, attractive thriller. The cast delivers hypnotic personifications, Lois Smith as the fading Marjorie, Geena Davis as her daughter, Tim Robbins as the son-in-law, and an outstanding robotic-emotionally-charged transformation of Jon Hamm as Walter, the hologram. A mind bending and enigmatic seductive drama about family and society bonds, as well as the importance of memory preservation. (A Film Rise Release. Opens Friday, August 18th at Quad Cinema, NYC.)
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