Of Good Report

Disturbing but deeply stylish South African drama about a teacher who becomes obsessed with an under-age pupil in his class, with tragic consequences.

From its disturbing opening scene of a man unpicking buried teeth from his head, to revealing this social misfit turning into an adequate teacher who lusts after the young girls at his school, Of Good Report is a highly provocative drama that stunned the BFI London Film Festival in 2013 and sent the South African censorship board in a panic.

Parker Sithole, a newly recruited high school teacher of seemingly ‘good report’ or references, meets the sexually charged Nolitha, superbly played by 23-year-old Petronella Tshuma, at a local bar. Parker later learns that the beautiful Nolitha is an under-age pupil in his class, but what started as a chance fling drives Parker into a deep obsession with tragic consequences. Shot in black and white with crisp direction, Of Good Report is a magical piece of cinema observed in close focus and amidst intense performances, the film demonstrates the original and most coveted talent of its director, Jamil XT Kubheka as he delivers a compelling and insightful journey into the mind of a disturbed and troubled man.