After being abandoned by his wife, a once-promising academic finds himself entangled in a very odd ménage à trois, in the second feature from South African actor and director Charlie Vundla (How to Steal 2 Million).

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Contemporary World Cinema

CUCKOLD

Charlie Vundla

Smanga (director Charlie Vundla) has a promising academic career, a nice house, and a stable marriage — or so he thinks. When his wife, Laura (Terry Pheto), leaves him for another man, Smanga slips into self-destruction, medicating himself with alcohol and marijuana, risking his appointment at one of South Africa's top universities, and defaulting on the mortgage payments for his house. One night in a bar, he runs into Jon (Louis Roux), an old schoolmate who has become a failed life coach. It's very reluctantly that he lets Jon crash on his couch for the night, but soon the friendship is rekindled, and Jon begins to help Smanga fix his life.

One morning, totally unexpectedly, Laura returns. She is remorseful and wants to save her marriage. As the couple finds their lost ardour, an unlikely threesome also starts to take shape, one born of friendship and solidarity. On the face of it, the shared imperative of Smanga, Laura, and Jon is to save the house from imminent bank seizure, but there's a lot more than that at stake.

Charlie Vundla's second feature, the follow-up to his fast-paced heist thriller How to Steal 2 Million, is surprising at every twist. Cuckold puts a new spin on the dramatic trope of the ménage à trios, using it as a tool for dissecting a man's emotional upheaval — and also as a means of debunking the false entitlements of chauvinism.

Screenings

Sat Sep 12

Scotiabank 7

Industry
9:45am
Sat Sep 12

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

Regular
10:30pm
Mon Sep 14

Scotiabank 8

Regular
4:15pm
Thu Sep 17

Scotiabank 8

Industry
6:30pm
Fri Sep 18

The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema

Regular
10:00am