The Smell of Apples

In 1974, in an insulated and sunny white apartheid South Africa, 11-year-old Marnus (Dawian van der Westhuizen) lives his best life. His amazing father (Hilton Pelser) plays a lot with him, his beautiful mother (Maude Sandham) is a devoted spouse, his friend Frikkie (Wian Carstens) is almost a brother and his nanny Doreen (Celeste Matthews Wannenburgh) discreetly takes care of everyone.

But when Mr. Smith (Alejandro Goic), a secretive Chilean colleague of his father, turns up at their home, the peaceful harmony of Marnus’s idyllic life is suddenly shattered. In just five days, his wonderful world begins to crumble. Realizing that the beauty around him is actually tinged with cruelty and oppression, Marnus comes to see that everything he once believed was nothing more than a mirage.

Adapted from South African writer Mark Behr’s 1993 bestselling novel, The Smell of Apples offers an intimate and radical insight into the apartheid regime from the perspective of those who benefited from it — whether they were aware of it or not. Behind every privilege and advantage lies a sordid truth that everyone prefers to ignore. By facing that reality head-on, director John Trengove offers us not only a brilliant exploration of human baseness, but also a stark reminder that responsibility is shared with those who pretend it does not exist.

CLAIRE DIAO

Content advisory: sexual violence, explicit violence, coarse language