'Moffie' a harrowing portrait of intolerance in 1980s South Africa Nicholas (Kai Luke Brummer) trains for South Africa's border war with Angola in the '80s-set drama "Moffie." Courtesy of IFC Films Nicholas (Kai Luke Brummer) trains for South Africa's border war with Angola in the '80s-set drama "Moffie." Courtesy of IFC Films
"Moffie" - ★ ★ ★ ½ The main character of Oliver Hermanus' shattering "Moffie," set in 1981 South Africa, is a handsome, white 18-year-old. In the country's system of apartheid, he is a member of the ruling class, but he's no insider.
Shy, timid and closeted, Nicholas van der Swart (Kai Luke Brummer) is conscripted into the army as part of regulated military service for white males over 16. There, the film's title -- an Afrikaans' anti-gay slur -- isn't directed at him but it's hurled all around -- an ever-present threat of ostracism and abuse. In brutal basic training, it's as if bullets are already flying perilously close to Nicholas.