BEAUTY

Winner of the Queer Palm award at Cannes.

The first Afrikaans-language film to ever be screened at Cannes, Beauty tells the story of François, a middle-aged man whose well ordered existence comes unravelled. A chance encounter with Christian, the son of a long lost friend, ignites infatuation and lust within the unhappily married François, plunging him into a confusion of self-loathing, tinged with a desperation for happiness.

For his sophomore outing, 27 year-old South African wunderkind Oliver Hermanus has delivered a taut, seething character study, pulsing with pent up energy. Phrased in half-glimpsed gestures and led by the compelling Deon Lotz as the desperate François, Beauty is a forceful, measured portrayal of one man's tragic self-hatred and tormented masculinity.

Contains scenes of graphic sexual violence

D Oliver Hermanus P Didier Costet S Oliver Hermanus, Didier Costet Dist Palace Films L English, Afrikaans w/ English subtitles TD 35mm/2011