| A collaboration between Canadian writer-director John Greyson (Lilies) and South African filmmaker Jack Lewis, Proteus is inspired by actual events. Based on the transcripts of an early 18th-century sodomy trial, the film focuses on the relationship between two convicts, Dutch sailor Rikhaart Jacobsz (Neil Sandilands) and African herder Claas Blank (Rouxnet Brown). The latter was unjustly imprisoned for ten years after seeking the return of his own cattle. While imprisoned on Robben Island, Blank catches the attention of a visiting Scottish botanist Virgil Niven (Shaun Smyth) who is cataloging the local flora which he decides to call "proteus." Niven and Jacobsz are both physically attracted to Blank, but the latter, despite the racial and sexual taboo, becomes his lover when they are forced to fetch water together. At first their couplings are animalistic, but over a decade's time they become more tender. Niven actually catches sight of the pair in the act, but opts not to report their illegal activities. Instead, he tries to trade on his attraction for Blank by asking the African native to pose for a drawing to be made and by naming a species of the proteus flower for him. Their potential assignation is interrupted and Niven soon departs, but both remain entranced, fantasizing about one another. In fact, Blank makes Jacobsz recount tales of seeing Niven heading under the docks in Amsterdam for sexual encounters. (Whether or not the stories are true are left up to the audience to decide.) After serving out his sentence, Blank is about to be released when Niven returns to Robben Island where he is seeking refuge from a scandal in The Netherlands: Seventy men, including one of his lovers, were executed for committing sodomy. Jacobsz and Blank are caught by another prisoner whose attentions Jacobsz has spurned. In an act of revenge, the inmate informs on their affair and the pair are brought to trial. Niven offers to intervene, but Blank refuses and confesses his love for Jacobsz, sealing their fates. Proteus features gorgeous cinematography by Giulio Biccari and the trademark use of anachronistic props and costumes that are a staple of Greyson's work. Sometimes such touches can be amusing (e.g., three court stenographers using electric typewriters who debate the proper translation of certain words) while other times, it can be distracting (i.e., an 18th-century woman in modern dress). The performances are strong and memorable, particularly those of Smyth, Sandilands and, especially, Brown. Like the flower for which it is named, the film blossoms under the care of its directors. The film not only examines a gay love story, but it also serves as a look at how global events can affect individual lives. Rating: B MPAA Rating: NONE (explicit sexual content, nudity, violence) Running time: 113 mins. In English, Dutch, Nama, Latin, and Afrikaans with English subtitles Viewed at the NewFest, Loews Cineplex Entertainment 34th St. Theater Co-presented by the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival |
| Proteus (2003) |
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