Xolani, a lonely factory worker, joins the men of his community in the mountains of the Eastern Cape to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. When a defiant initiate from the city discovers his best kept secret, Xolani’s entire existence begins to unravel.

Starring out-and-proud South African singer Nakhane, John Trengove’s The Wound imaginatively places queer desires within the complex Xhosa initiation ritual of Ulwaluko. In this searing drama, the path to manhood and self-actualization is paved with cultural prejudices and unexpected epiphanies.