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Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Adam — a raw exploration of masculinity, race and resilience
Adam challenges traditional ideas of manhood through the story of a young man navigating the harsh realities of a strict farm school in South Africa. Drawing from personal experiences and social influences, directors Liyema Speelman and Winford Collings craft a powerful narrative about identity, belonging and breaking free from outdated norms. Liyema Speelman, co-director of the powerful new drama Adam, challenges traditional binaries through the story of a young man confronting the weight of patriarchy and finding healing in its aftermath. More than just a coming-of-age story, Adam offers a raw look at the emotional armour young men are expected to wear, to hide any sort of vulnerability. Fresh out of high school, Adam is trying to define his identity while learning to survive the harsh realities of a rigid farm school. Resilience, he discovers, isn't a choice; it's a lifeline. Directed by Speelman and Winford Collings, the film is part of Showmax's first-time directors slate in partnership with the Joburg Film Festival. The duo began working on Adam in 2023. After its premiere on 4 May, Speelman spoke to Daily Maverick about the inspirations and personal reflections that shaped the film. Adam, played by Marko Voster, is a hot-headed teenager questioning the next steps for his future after finishing high school. Without any warning, Adam is sent to a technical farm school to give him a new sense of direction. As he gets used to his new environment, Adam is forced to leave his 'old identity' behind and 'toughen up'. From the moment Adam arrives at the farm school it's clear that discipline – and abuse – reigns supreme. The institution, founded by the late father of its authoritarian headmaster (played by Dirk Stoltz), is steeped in legacy. But that legacy casts a long shadow that pushes the headmaster into an obsessive drive to live up to his father's image, ultimately leading him towards unravelling. Adam becomes a target of the built-up rage that the headmaster carries. While his schoolmates try to stay out of harm, Adam suffers, often in isolation, and is fearful to speak up. The brutal abuse he endures forces him to confront and redefine what strength and manhood truly mean. Why is this film relevant today? Adam is reminiscent of the popular South African original film, Moffie, directed by Oliver Hermanus, which came out in 2021. Both films explore initiation through the lens of military training, often portrayed as a rite of passage meant to transform boys into men. Adam draws inspiration from the personal experiences of both directors. Speelman reflects on his time growing up in an all-boys school in Port Elizabeth, which he attended from Grade 1. He recalls how slurs and name-calling, often with references to cult cartoon South Park, were a normalised part of daily life. 'If [these] are the only things that you have known, it becomes an afterthought,' he says, 'but soon this afterthought makes you realise that the 'normality' there is slightly incorrect. 'It takes us as filmmakers to kind of mirror [those experiences] and simply create a new path or give new suggestions as to what people should be doing nowadays.' Andrew Tate and the influence of the manosphere Even today, boys and men are often taught, whether subtly or forcefully, that showing emotion is a weakness. At the farm school, Adam's lack of athleticism sets him apart, and he's punished for it. Beyond the film, social media adds to the pressure, with hyper-masculine influencers pushing harmful ideals onto young and often vulnerable minds. Adam challenges this mindset, offering raw, emotional moments that reveal there's real strength in vulnerability. The directors were also inspired by the 1985 film Come and See, directed by Elem Klimlov. The film explores the heavy burden placed on young men sent to the army, expected to carry the weight of saving their country. Adam is their creative way of engaging with and imagining life within that world. Speelman explains that Come and See 'looks at the idea of boys going to war and being excited about the idea of becoming men and then being utterly terrorised, disenchanted and disillusioned by that idea of masculinity. More recently, in March 2025, Adolescence, the Netflix original series, sparked much-needed conversations around hyper-masculinity and male rage. Speaking to Speelman about the series, he points to Andrew Tate, one of the most infamous influencers known for promoting misogynistic content. 'Andrew Tate has become this beacon of fiery strong men, but it's a false archetype, a false god. 'With the rise of Andrew Tate, there's this anger that's fostered within a lot of young men because there's an element where a lot of their identity was grounded on this old idea of what a man is. 'The man essentially is the ketch of the household, he's the breadwinner but when a lot of those ideas are challenged, where now you're not the breadwinner and you feel like you're not needed, you feel left out and I think that's where there's this growing rage that I've been watching is simmering.' Talking about race Race is a subtle but important theme in the film, reflecting the directors' perspectives as men of colour. Through characters like Liam and Davey, the film highlights the experience of a boy of colour in a mostly white farm school. Although Adam isn't a man of colour, his close relationship with Liam, built on shared struggles with harsh punishments, allows the story to explore how race intersects with power and belonging. Dillon Windvogel as Liam. Speelman explains that 'the racial bodies in the film become that bridge within South African society of creating a friendship. But also [help us] truly understand one another to essentially move forward as one union.' Adam may not have visual components as strong as those in Adolescence and Moffie, but its stripped-down aesthetic is a memorable component of the film. It also taps into a deeper sense of stillness, which Speelman says was intentional. His reasoning behind some inert moments in the film is that 'a lot of emotions, especially through cinema, sometimes are rushed through. I think the type of cinema that I gravitate towards is very arthouse. Within that arthouse, you have to sit within the uncomfortability, and that is where the lessons stick a lot more.' Cinematographer Gray Kotze creates an intimate relationship between the viewer and the characters, and with an eye for documentary, he was able to immerse the viewers in Adam's world. DM
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Marko Voster: rising star unpacks masculinity in the twisted coming-of-age tale 'Adam'
The cast is further enriched by talented actors such as Inge Beckmann ("Wyfie"), Antoinette Louw (" Spinners ") and Paul Strydom ("Reënboogrant" and "Spooksoeker"). Up-and-coming actor Marko Vorster, known for his role as Francois in "Donkerbos", portrays Adam, a boy grappling with the narrow definitions of masculinity imposed by both his surroundings and influential figures, particularly his idealistic teacher, played by Dirk Stoltz of " 7de Laan " fame. "Adam" presents a moving narrative centred around the life of a headstrong teenager navigating the strict confines of a militaristic farm school named Prinsloo Bush School, drawing in audiences with its explorative approach to themes of masculinity, belonging and societal expectations. Following its screening at the Joburg Film Festival recently, "Adam", a coming-of-age story, is now streaming on Showmax. Written by Winford Collings and co-directed by Collings and Liyema Speelman, "Adam" finds its roots in the personal experiences of its creators. The film's script, over a decade in the making, matured alongside Collings himself. "The opportunity found me at the right time. I'd gone down a completely different path to filmmaking, studying accounting and working across various industries, but when this opportunity came along, it was the right time," shared Collings. "I don't think I would've been ready to tell this story a decade ago. Because the film tells the story from the perspectives of both teenagers and adults, I needed to live life outside of the confines of boarding school and mature, to have a full understanding of the world. The script matured alongside me," he said. Describing the film, Speelman remarked: "'Adam' is our take on a coming-of-age story, set in a strict, militaristic farm school. It follows a boy who's placed into a system designed to shape him into a very narrow version of masculinity: tough, emotionless and obedient. "His teacher is the force behind that system, but Adam resists and that resistance comes at a cost. For me, 'Adam' is about the weight of those inherited narratives and the courage it takes to step outside of them and define yourself on your own terms." Both Collings and Speelman hope viewers take away a message of self-discovery. Collings said: "At its core, 'Adam' is a family drama, and I think that's what helps it resonate. While Adam is our throughline, the story is filled with characters and dynamics that feel familiar. People recognise parts of their own families in it. "The common refrain we've heard is, 'We all know an Adam', but what draws viewers in is the range of relationships around him: his bond with his mom, the tension with his stepdad, his friendships. Everyone finds a way in, a touchpoint that feels personal." Speelman added, "I think stories like this hold up a mirror. They remind us of our own struggles and say, 'Yes, it's hard - but keep going. There's something on the other side of it'. "Especially in this time, where we as men are slowly rediscovering what it means to be a man in society. This film also speaks to that, and it asks the questions, 'How do we create our own path? What is masculinity to us?' "In conversations with friends, I find the same recurring theme, with everyone asking what it is to be a man now. 'Adam' is one of those pieces where it looks into that and leaves you with the puzzle pieces to figure that out for yourself."
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
‘Capturing Water' Spotlights South Africa's Grassroots Fight to Preserve Precious Resource Before It Runs Out
In early 2018, as South Africa's Western Cape region was in the midst of a yearslong drought that brought its reservoirs to historically low levels, residents of Cape Town and its surroundings began to brace for 'Day Zero,' when the municipal water supply would be exhausted and the taps would run dry. That catastrophe was narrowly averted. But as South African filmmaker Rehad Desai ('Miners Shot Down') warns in his timely new documentary 'Capturing Water,' playing this week at the Joburg Film Festival, the city's water crisis barely scratched the surface of a much larger threat, as climate change pushes South Africa and much of the continent to the brink of a full-scale emergency. More from Variety 'Sculpted Souls' Director Stavros Psillakis on Telling the Story of a Swiss Dentist Who Treated People With Leprosy in Greece Documentary Festival Visions du Réel Expands Global Reach With Record-Breaking Lineup Sundance Award Winner Michal Marczak to Direct Documentary 'Closure,' About a Father's Search for His Missing Teenage Son 'We've got 250 million people facing water stress, mainly in urban areas, across the continent by 2030,' Desai tells Variety. 'The temperatures are just [increasing] exponentially. We're a dry continent. It's becoming drier because of climate change.' As 'Capturing Water' points out, the apocalyptic scenario that faced the Western Cape from roughly 2015-2020 was a disaster years in the making. While drought and climate change were partly to blame, so, too, were years of government neglect and mismanagement, despite the Western Cape widely being considered 'the best functioning municipality we have,' according to Desai. The consequences on both the supply of clean water and the environment have been stark: As the film notes, not only does much of Cape Town's poorly treated sewage get pumped directly into the sea, but it takes a staggering 55 million liters of freshwater a day to get it there. Across South Africa, the picture is even bleaker, with 3.5 million households lacking access to clean water, while 35% of the clean water that is available is lost through leaking infrastructure, according to statistics cited in the film. Desai says the country's municipalities 'don't have enough money or enough competence' to solve the problem, while budgets for government services continue to get slashed. In that climate, the director adds, 'political choices have become critically important.' In Cape Town, just 13% of the population consumes 51% of the water, with that supply rapidly dwindling because of growing household and industrial use. Turbo-charged development, fueled in part by a post-pandemic boom in tourism, has added to the strain, putting access to clean water for millions of local residents directly at odds with a government push for relentless growth. Water rationing has become commonplace — with much of that burden falling disproportionately on the shoulders of the poor. 'You see the inequity of the situation, and the nonsensical nature of the market approach to water, when you see that many, if not most, of our townships are only getting a couple of hours of water a day,' Desai says. 'You can see the class dimension, the class inequality, very starkly at the moment.' That's given rise to a series of increasingly urgent questions. 'How are we going to share what water we have? What is a rational, equitable plan going forward so we don't have the urban elites…consuming as much as they want, while others don't have anything?' Desai asks. While 'Capturing Water' doesn't answer those questions, it nevertheless points to a way forward, with the director noting: 'The best solutions for water are often the local solutions.' The documentary spotlights grassroots efforts to tackle the Western Cape's seemingly intractable water crisis, including working-class activists mobilizing against water restriction devices and water privatization; a farmer taking the Cape Town government to court over plans to cement over a vital aquifer; and a suburban activist tirelessly working to stop the sewage flowing into life-giving wetlands. The fight, however, is not South Africa's alone. 'Capturing Water' highlights the increasingly dystopian industries that have sprung up as climate change threatens water security across the globe. In California, the purchase of millions of acres of farmland by Saudi Arabian companies exporting crops to the drought-stricken Middle East has put that state's aquifers at risk, while financial speculators gambling on water futures are literally banking on the price of water continuing to rise — pushing it further out of reach of the world's poorest billions. 'As water becomes more scarce, there's a bigger squeeze on those who can't afford to pay,' Desai says. In the process, water becomes a commodity subject to the mercies of the global marketplace, rather than a basic human right. 'Capturing Water' follows on the heels of Desai's politically charged documentaries including the Intl. Emmy Award-nominated 'Miners Shot Down,' about the notorious 2012 massacre of 34 mineworkers by South African police in the town of Marikana, and 'How to Steal a Country,' a damning portrait of the billionaire Gupta brothers, who have been accused of turning the country into their personal fiefdom. Desai is planning a wide rollout of 'Capturing Water' — first across South Africa, then the rest of the continent — hoping to harness the urgency of the moment into a rousing call to action. 'That's what's required in this instance — a film which inspires people,' he says. 'I've understood over time that you're not going to see change, or any community of activism that has a critical mass, unless you can move people emotionally. I remain convinced that film is a very important tool in social change.' The Joburg Film Festival runs March 11 – 16. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joburg Film Festival Pays Tribute to ‘Art of Storytelling' While Looking to Amplify African Voices, ‘Unearth New Talent'
The Joburg Film Festival returns to the heart of South Africa's entertainment industry from March 11 – 16, with a seventh edition that organizers say is designed to celebrate 'the shared experiences and emotions that unite us through the art of storytelling.' Building on Johannesburg's reputation as the 'city of gold,' the festival is organized around the theme of a 'golden thread' running through its selection of nearly 100 feature-length and short films and documentaries. Among them is a mix that includes festival hits from the likes of Sundance, Berlin and Cannes, alongside films from the host nation and the African continent that will be reaching audiences for the first time. More from Variety JBX Market Head on How Joburg Event Can Boost Africa as 'Global Force' in Film and TV Production Raoul Peck, Oscar-Nominated for 'I Am Not Your Negro,' to Be Honored at Visions du Réel 'Ernest Cole: Lost and Found' Review: Raoul Peck's Documentary Rediscovers the Fearless Photographer of South African Apartheid 'I wanted to find films that would resonate on an emotional and sympathetic level,' says Joburg Film Festival curator Nhlanhla Ndaba, 'to remind us that we are a global village and to spread a little love whilst we face the reality of what is happening globally.' The festival kicks off with the African premiere of 'Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,' Raoul Peck's Cannes prize-winning documentary about the trailblazing South Africa photographer who fearlessly chronicled the evils of apartheid before moving to New York in the 1960s. Ndaba, who was inspired by Cole's powerful images as a boy and credits the photographer with awakening his 'political consciousness,' tells Variety he jumped at the chance 'to bring this incredible film back home to complete [Cole's] journey, by allowing South African audiences to immerse themselves in his life story told through his own words.' Among the screenings taking place over the course of the six-day event will be 28 African premieres and 12 world premieres. Highlights include Magnus von Horn's Academy Award-nominated 'The Girl With the Needle,' Mahdi Fleifel's Cannes Directors' Fortnight selection 'To a Land Unknown,' Titus Kaphar's Sundance drama 'Exhibiting Forgiveness,' and Dominican filmmaker Johanne Gomez Terrero's 'Sugar Island,' which debuted in the Venice Film Festival's Venice Days sidebar and is having its African premiere. Repping the host nation are films including Vusi Africa's 'Happy: The True Story of Happy Sindane,' which celebrates its world premiere, Hendrik Cronje and Mari Molefe van Heerden's post-apocalyptic thriller 'Bos,' and 'Old Righteous Blues,' by Muneera Sallies, which was South Africa's selection for the best international feature film Oscar. Other highlights include the world premiere of 'The Man Died,' Nigerian filmmaker Awam Amkpa's adaptation of the book by Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka. The festival jury is comprised of South African actress, director and creative curator Sthandiwe Kgoroge; producer and president of the Nigerian directors guild Victor Okhai; South African filmmaker Muneera Sallies; Egyptian film critic and FIPRESCI president Ahmed Shawky; South African editor Melissa Parry; and head of industry development at South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation Yolanda Ncokotwana. The Joburg Film Festival runs parallel to the third edition of JBX, or Joburg Xchange, a three-day industry event that will host a range of talks, workshops, panel discussions and masterclasses. Timothy Mangwedi, the Joburg Film Festival executive director, says JBX was curated to help 'equip professionals with the tools needed to navigate a rapidly evolving media landscape.' The two events, says Ndaba, are designed to work hand in hand for African film professionals. 'We keep growing with each edition of the festival, but authenticity is key for me, and in order for us to tell stories that are authentic we need to ensure that filmmakers have the opportunity to meet with potential funders,' he says. 'It's important for them to participate at JBX, where they can expand their networks and create collaborations for their stories.' An example of that synergy is a showcase of seven films from first-time directors screening at this year's festival that emerged from a pitching session at last year's JBX. A collaboration between the Joburg Film Festival and the pan-African streamer Showmax, it illustrates the fest's role 'in advancing filmmaking and unearthing new talent,' according to Ndaba. Among the filmmakers taking part in JBX are the Academy Award-nominated Peck, who will deliver a masterclass during the event. Ndaba points to the importance of the Haitian director's body of work, including his gripping biopic 'Lumumba,' about the Congolese revolutionary icon, which he credits with 'deepen[ing] my understanding of how it feels to face the world as a person of color, and the resilience that comes with it.' 'It's important for me especially given global politics,' he adds, 'where we will all need that resilience to survive the Trump storm.' The Joburg Film Festival runs March 11 – 16. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
