Homophobia Creates an Inescapable Cage For The Main Characters of The Wound

Like many films exploring the perspectives of queer individuals in societies that refuse to accept who they are, The Wound is a movie all about identity. Directed by John Trengrove and shot in South Africa, The Wound is the story of Xolani (Nakhane), who is hired to serve as the guide for Kwanda (Niza Jay Ncoyini) during a sacred initiation ceremony meant to turn boys into men. The adults in these ceremonies have a very clear idea of what a proper grown man should be and these rituals help mold their children into fitting that idea, one that does not have any place for the presence of homosexuality. At first, Xolani goes through the motions of his now regular annual job of being a mentor figure for a new kid, but he soon learns that Kwanda, like himself, is gay. This, along with Xolani's secret relationship with fellow mentor Vija (Bongile Mantsai).


The Wound is the type of subdued close-to-the-chest motion picture that I sometimes have trouble getting attached to less due to the artistry on display and more out of just personal preference. Though I had some trouble connecting with it at first, The Wound manifests the personal plight of its primary characters in such an engaging fashion that I found myself enwrapped in its storytelling before long. Much of this comes down to how the screenplay, credited to a trio of writers including director John Trengrove, is able to create three different portraits of queer identity within the context of its own story. Xolani, Vija and Kwande may all be part of the LGBTQA+ community, but The Wound recognizes how no two members of that community are ever the same.

Thus, tension is developed within the film by having differing personalities as well as differing approaches on how to approach one's sexuality in this specific society emerge. Even though so much of their motivations are conveyed through subtle means, the main players in this story manage to have individual perspectives fleshed out enough to allow them to be both easy to understand and get invested in. Take Kwande, for instance, he's a more outgoing type of individual who's always pushing against restrictions. Raised in luxury and dismissive of the idea of partaking in this ritual at all, he takes the homophobic mocking of his peers as a challenge to be confronted rather than something to encourage him to stifle his identity.

Meanwhile, Xolani is the total opposite, after years of hiding his sexual orientation in the shadows, he has become accustomed to just living out his sexuality in secret and carrying on an existence as devoid of conflict as possible. Naturally, such polar opposite ideologies will inevitably collide and The Wound creates some riveting suspense out of watching Xolani try and convince Kwande to not cause trouble while carrying on an ongoing sexual affair with Vija. Underlying all of this conflict is an inexplicable unspoken tragedy that the only reason these characters are in conflict with one another is because of the greater bigoted pressures of the world they inhabit. If people like the powerful adults conducting these rituals were more open to queer individuals, there'd be no need for Kwande and Xolani to argue over matters like Kwande discovering Xolani's sexuality.

In such beautifully subtle terms, The Wound manages to depict how the pressures and consequences of homophobia make these queer individuals see other members of the LGBTQA+ community as a source of danger rather than a source of comfort. It's an experience rooted in this story in homophobia rooted in traditions and norms unique to South African society and Trengrove and the cast & crew of The Wound depict those specific details so well that anyone would be able to find it heartbreaking. Seemingly contradictorily, this part of the film is also able to resonate on a personal level no matter where you are on the globe given that this form of homophobia is recognizable in most societies across the planet, including in my own home country whose current Vice-President is Mike Pence.

The Wound's South African setting is inseparable from the films DNA, but its depiction of homophobia as something that can force queer individuals to suppress their own identity to dangerous results is a universal topic. Similarly universally appealing is the cinematography by Paul Ozgur that does subtly swell work in arranging shots in a manner that reinforce the idea that the main characters of this story are always trapped. Whether it's Xolani just working in a warehouse or Kwande kneeling in the woods, the characters are frequently framed within a square box that suggests constant imprisonment by outside forces. On both a writing and visual level, The Wound captures how trapped its characters are in a mighty haunting fashion.