A very human tale about maturity, shame and oppression. Shockingly violent on a few levels. Authentic performances. Not the queer cinema I was expecting, but impactful and eye opening.

Really morose. Pass.

Hard movie to watch but was raw and showed a lot of character depth!

Award winning film from festivals around the world and an interesting view of how Southern African tribes takes teenagers to several weeks long camps that starts of with some sort of curcomsition and ends after mild torture and intense days. The men that goes camping with them are pretty rugged, but does what's best for the kids - they make men out of them. That's the whole idea behind this tradition. Mix in homosexuality as a main subplot and you got yourself an interesing film that breaks many "rules" and stands out. I like the acting, the way it looks and the idea. I'm not very entertained and it lacks more punch and backroundstory. It's under 90 minutes long, but still feels dragged, so I'm not to impressed with the result from this promising film. Plusses for an intense and solid finale. 5 out of 10 waterfalls.

Good concept, the movie draws you in by showing the depth of characters. However, the ending of the movie took away the most beautiful complicated friendship between the two characters and totally threw me off.

A conflict between tradition, sexuality, modern life, and masculinity; In a setting where the stakes are higher

Una cultura distinta, iniciación de la pubertad a la madurez, desenlace inesperado.

"The Wound" is a bleak examination of tradition, tribalism, and masculinity within a secluded South African community. Though the film's 88-minute runtime chugs along at a somewhat sluggish pace, the narrative unfolds subtly and organically through its array of intriguing characters. The film asks some huge questions -- What should true masculinity look like, and who is to define it? Can a society survive without an equal balance of masculinity and femininity? Is the existence of an established order better than no order at all? If a society's established order were to collapse, would its values (as well as its inhabitants) survive the subsequent descent into chaos? Thankfully, director John Trengrove leaves these questions unanswered and lets the film reach a heartbreakingly authentic resolution--one that will likely linger in your thoughts long after the credits have rolled.

INXEBA aka THE WOUND is a truly perfect title for this movie. THE WOUND tells the story of a physical wound, a cultural wound, and a country's wound. It questions tradition, homosexuality and circumcision. It is a brave movie of cultural clashes that deserves respect and all the awards that have, and will come, its way. FULL REVIEW IS NOW UP ON SALTY POPCORN

When I say The Wound is transformative, I don't use the word casually. With great care and respect, John Trengove and his team disconnect you from your world, and walk alongside you into a world foreign to most. You are made to wince, to care deeply, even for loathsome characters, and ultimately, you are left winded by the weight of patriarchy and the tragic, yet perfect, end. The wide angles and close-ups, the lush landscape and cicadas buzzing, Xolani's gentle soul versus Vija's rage, the men singing and telling tales, the silences and cacophony all blend together in a perfectly balanced piece of art. The one element does not overshadow the other - the sign of a great film. What adds to the gravitas of the film is Trengove's mode of storytelling, what he chose to show or not show. He could thrust patriarchy in your face. He could shock you with blood and guts and shattered bodies. That would be the easy way. Instead, he draws you in, shows you something beautiful and fragile and worth caring for, and then crushes it. It is a sucker punch of note. Contrary to what the haters would have you believe, The wound does not give away any more Xhosa initiation secrets than Nelson Mandela did in his autobiography, The long walk to freedom. The initiation ceremony is only the backdrop for a story mainly dealing with patriarchy and homophobia, power versus [perceived] weakness. On the positive side, I found the camaraderie between the boys being initiated and the care they receive from their carers heart-warming. They want to belong to something bigger than themselves, they want to share their experiences with other men, and they do need guidance. On the negative side, this caring, nurturing system quickly turns to a crushing, unyielding fist when the boys do not subscribe to their idea of masculinity. It leads to other initiates taunting "soft" boys; but, more importantly, it leads to internalised homophobia, hidden lives and a rage towards individuals who dare to defy the patriarchy, the beliefs and traditions. [Spoiler alert:] What I found the most tragic, the most upsetting, is that Xolani and Vija, the carers in charge of young, vulnerable minds, perpetuate this very system that is forcing them into submission. The young, rebellious initiate under Xolani's care, Kwanda, who questions the system, who is much more comfortable in his homosexuality, is not taken care of, is not protected. That brings me to the final scene, where the initiates and carers return home, and the women (for the first time appearing on screen) and children await them, singing and dancing. The camera focuses on the face of a young boy, a boy that will one day go through the same initiation. If he fits the masculinity the system prescribes, he will be respected, loved and embraced. If he dares to be different, to question the beliefs, he will be crushed.