Beauty (2011)

Portrait of a closeted gay husband/father living a life of quiet middle-aged desperation who becomes fixated on a friend's handsome collegiate son, leading to an incident.

Director:

Oliver Hermanus

Writers:

Didier Costet, Oliver Hermanus

Stars:

Deon Lotz, Charlie Keegan, Michelle Scott

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Deon Lotz	...	François van Heerden
Charlie Keegan	...	Christian Roodt
Michelle Scott	...	Elena van Heerden
Albert Maritz	...	Willem Roodt
Sue Diepeveen	...	Marika Roodt
Roeline Daneel	...	Anika van Heerden
Drikus Volschenk	...	Cliff Engel
Morne Visser	...	Brian
Leon Kruger	...	Henri
Robin Smith	...	Gideon
Jeroen Kranenburg	...	Doctor
Tinarie van Wyk Loots	...	Linda van Heerden
Jan Hendrik Opperman	...	Stefan - Groom
Marion Holm	...	Distant Aunt
Shaun Rossouw	...	Best Man

Storyline

Tells the story of Francois van Heerden, a mid-40s, white, Afrikaans-speaking family man living in Bloemfontein, who has become devoid of any care or concern for his own measure of happiness, so convinced of his ill-fated existence, that he is wholly unprepared when a chance encounter unravels his clean, controlled life.

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Plot Keywords:

gay | lumber mill | violence | cheating wife | queer cinema | 

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Taglines:

Every family man has his secrets...

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

16

Details

Official Sites:

Official distributor's page for the film. [Australia] Official distributor's page for the film. [Belgium]

Country:

South Africa France Germany

Language:

Afrikaans English

Release Date:

8 March 2012 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Beauty

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Swift Productions, Équation, Moonlighting Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

South Africa's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 84th Academy Awards 2012.

User Reviews

Brilliant and Shocking

This film is without a doubt the most shocking film I have ever seen. It's difficult to say just how the writer/director came about doing this film but a couple of things come to mind. I could not help think of the way Hitchcock would prepare the viewer for a shocking scene by almost lulling the viewer to sleep so that when the big scene takes place you practically jump from your seat and go running for the nearest exit. I'm thinking of Psycho, of course. Here, a virtually identical event takes place and there was no exit for me to run to so I had to stay in my chair and sit out perhaps the most horrific scene I have ever witnessed in a movie or in real life. It is shockingly presented and you sit there frozen thinking to yourself this can't be happening. Everything that happens before the big scene and everything that happens after are completely out of context with the big scene itself and the writer/director has done this precisely the way Hitchcock did it in Psycho. There is an element of abstraction that really hits you hard and you just cannot stop thinking about what you have just seen. In fact, the more I think about this film the more I realize how torn and twisted men are when it comes to lust and the flesh and that the biggest struggle men have is overcoming their sexual desires especially when they are twisted and sick as in this fellow's case. It really is impossible for women to fully grasp just how horrific it is for men in many cases to overcome the flesh and to behave in a humane and decent way. Men are tortured there is no question about it and the man in this film is a perfect example of how wrong a man can go even though on the surface he lives a good life.