Zara Nicholson
The Cape Town director of the award-winning film Skoonheid is not offended that there was a walkout by a few viewers when his film opened at the weekend.
The daring feature film, which includes graphic scenes of a gay orgy and a gay rape, outraged several viewers who walked out of the cinema at the V&A Waterfront on Friday and Saturday nights.
But Oliver Hermanus, 27, who scooped the Queer Palm Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and Best South African Feature Film at the Durban Film Festival last week, said it was the most affirming reaction, proving that the movie had made an impact. “We are not surprised by the walkouts, because people are not used to stories like this. It’s a very strong gesture, it shows I’m affecting people.”
The film opened at Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau theatres around the country on Friday.
Simon Borchard from Parklands praised the movie for “breaking the stereotype” of homosexuality. “It’s hectic but not a lot more hectic than it would have been if it was heterosexual sex. Perhaps people walked out because they are homophobic and they weren’t prepared to see it. But people should watch it with an open mind to see the story exposed, which probably happens a lot in real life,” Borchard said.