Inxeba, like the movie Of Good Report, has touched on a hot topic that in return has given the film great media coverage and hype, but is there substance to the hype? Let’s dig in...
Inxeba is directed by John Trengove (first feature), written by Malusi Bengu, Thando Mgqolozana and John Trengove, so it's not an all white male gaze on the black queer body… but what works in Inxeba?
The performances in the movie are really good, Nakhane Touré goes all Charlize Theron “Monster” on us, being the crustiest the musician-cum-actor has ever been on screen thus far .
Yet the performance that stole the show is from the young man Niza Jay Ncoyini as the initiate Kwanda. Kwanda’s face now adorns the iconic poster, is full of zest and rebellious teenage angst ,and he's a joy to watch. Niza brings passion to the role.
He becomes a foil to ask a lot of questions of the protagonist Xolani, his caretaker during the initiation ritual, but also of the culture of initiation in general. He could have just been a plot device, a tool for agit-prop but Kwanda comes across fully fledged as a character.
Xolani and Vija are the Brokeback Mountain equivalents of Heath and Jake. They are a contrast of male identities. The one more effeminate and the other more hyper masculine.
Although the identities may be different, they have the same struggle, the caregivers are not free to be themselves. The rural setting, and especially the Eastern Cape, is interesting 'cause it layers their challenges not just around sexuality but also class and race.
How do the working class deal with difference? Difference in sexuality but also in social affluence? This idea is expanded on when it comes to Kwanda’s journey.
Being a city boy he is not just ostracized because he is gay (which is the main reason in the film) but also because he is from a very middle class city background whilst the other initiates are very working class farm boy. The initiation school seems to have not evolved to deal with this issue of class difference.
Which I feel Inxeba could have dealt with it more deftly by asking what’s holding back the evolution? What can be done to create an initiation school that is opened for difference?
Although we get how initiation school can be oppressive to the gay community, we don’t get an idea what drives the guys who want to be part of the initiation school to want to be part of it or even victimize the gay guys? What's their rationale?
There’s complexity and nuance that is short changed for simplicity of story, whereby the side we get to know and understand is the one of Kwanda, Xolani and Vija the gay guys in the story.
The story and motivation of the society and the elders running the initiation school, its myths, its legacy are made one note and we are not given complexity and understanding of their outlook as it contrasts to the protagonists. ala what we had with Killmonger and Tachala per se.
My other big issue is the actual story. I felt like the movie meanders a lot so that by the time the movie ends, it feels more like the first act just ended and the more compelling story is about to start.
Maybe it was the guys interpretation that being at the mountain is about sitting around and looking at a penis healing. Aside from the occasional bonking between the guys, not much happens plot wise to keep the story moving or engaging. There are strands that don’t make sense within the story that really don’t go nowhere.
Although I do understand not all great stories are plot driven and a story can be a character piece but when you look at Moonlight, one of the great things it did is to take stereotypes and turn them on their heads to make for an interesting discussion on sexuality, class, race and the urban condition.
I feel there are elements that work in Inxeba and it’s a positive thing for SA and the queer community to have movies opening up discussions but I feel the treatment of the story and the themes of it were not as strong or as compelling as they could have been.
Due to the hype around same sex scenes, the need for representation of queer life and “preservation of inititiation” schools backlash, the story flaws are being glossed over, but then maybe I’m the odd man out.
Pity the FPB board went overboard and changed the rating to an X18, which was a heavy knee jerk reaction which I hope the producers challenge but you can see it at Bioskope if you are in Jozi.
It felt like: Brokeback Mountain in the Eastern Cape minus Ang Lee’s deftly touch.
Rating
**1/2
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* rubbish ** ja nee ***its aight ****now we cooking with gas *****it’s a Classic ,man