Of Good Report

The third feature by young South African director Jahmil X.T. Qubeka is the provocative story of a high-school teacher with a penchant for young girls. The film became the center of public attention following its controversial temporary ban by the South African Film and Publications Board for “promoting child abuse & pornography.” OF GOOD REPORT takes us on a surreal journey into the backstory of a troubled man, Parker Sithole. When he applies for a job at a high school, the lead teacher gives his references a cursory scan, commending him for being a man “of good report.” Sithole soon takes up with a lusty 16-year-old beauty queen named Nolitha, and the relationship spirals into violent obsession. Incorporating classic noir elements of masterpieces by Hitchcock and Bob Fosse, OF GOOD REPORT is a disorienting black-and-white film that peers into the warped mind of a misogynistic man who hides behind a façade of respectability. (In English, Xhosa, and Sotho with subtitles) —B.B.