This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
George is a middle class man working a corporate job. He hooks. Up one night with Simeon, who had been hanging out with his homophobic friends earlier. Its only the next day that George sees Simeon working a Kapana stand. Since Simeon is in closet, he initially freaks out but eventually gives in and a sort of love relationship starts between the two men, although that still bothers Simeon when they are in public. George on the other hand has good support both from his colleagues and family. As you can expect, there is forced drama when Simoen suddenly finds out that George is actually HIV positive and feels been lied to. George explains him his point of view and Simeon's sister finally educates him about HIV and PrEP. Finally Simeon gets his head around and gets back together with George.
The film doesn't end on a clear note whether Simeon is now ok with being out and open being who he is. I guess Namibia's Jawas don't make it easy. But with a supportive family, you can also see that George is able to live almost freely being who he is. The production quality is quite alright and decent story but it never manages to go beyond just an ordinary story. It had the potential for being emotional and gripping, but the acting seems quite forced. You never connected with any actor to feel for them and that, in my opinion, is a huge flaw. Having said that, since the film is only an hour long, and I was quite focussed on what's going on. Its an easy breezy watch. The film has been produced by an activism group, which I think deserves special mention and kudos for taking such a brave step in trying to educate not only people from their country but also internationally.
Kapana is not a perfect film by any means, but when you take into account the country, the laws and probably the first gay film, this is still worthy of your time and will give you a different look into Namibian queer relationships, relationships with someone living with HIV while highlighting the power of love. (5.5/10)
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