I bought this film in a hurry without any investigation beforehand; I saw the good looking Christian on the cover and the 4 reviews from respected sources each giving the film 4 stars so I thought this must be good.And you could tell from the beginning that the film is good and realistic and very well acted - I just hadn't properly registered the LOVE ENVY OBSESSION on the DVD cover and was hoping for a pleasant experience. What I got was a long brooding film with a shocking scene towards the end of the film.I guess I do not understand extreme sexual domination towards someone that you supposedly like a lot.So not recommended if you like romance or encounters between two good looking young guys.

Shocking, alarming and scary! Anyone and I do mean anyone that likes this films. Has some hardcore issues they need to deal with! This is not a gay movie and should not be considered a movie at all. It is a director trying to make a point at a culture that obviously doesn't mind out right violence. This is the worst kind of movie for gay people. We are not rapist, we do not beat and choke someone to the point paralyzingly them. I HATE HATE, this movie so much it's absolutely eating me up inside. With out going too deep, I have been raped and oh my God, does it change you as a human. the rest of your life is a mental struggle. The lead character is a sad sad, slow moving married man. Not to mention a liar, a homophobe and a criminal, who somehow gets it in his head that its fine to almost kill his best friend's son, because he doesn't have the balls to leave his wife. If NetFlix doesn't remove this movie from its selection, I will need to cancel my membership. Please for the love of God, do not glamorize this movie, it is not artist, it is not a study on human culture....it is the worst thing for the gay male community. I repeat, ask your providers to not carry this film!!

Beauty is anything but. A piece of vile homophobic crap is the nicest thing I can call this pretentious mess. Its the kind of film that reinforces stereotypes of the worst and most destructive nature. Yes, it might look real and be real, but is it truly something that needs to be seen? The unresolved aftermath of the rape scene (cinematically it is not attempted rape, it is rape) I found particularly disgusting. Someone looking for anything more than an artsy fartsy pile of pseudo-intellectual garbage will be either totally revolted or bored . Sure the racism and the repression of South Africa is real, it is well acted and the film is well crafted, but are those the only reasons to sit through this awfulness? I understand the director's political agenda and I think this is a poor way of expressing it. This is only my opinion but I'm sure most people would agree.

Oliver Hermanus wonderfully crafted "Beauty" was South Africa's submission to the Academy Awards as well as 2011 Un Certain Regard Cannes Film Festival Nominee and a Cannes award winner. This is a tale of repressed turmoil that slowly creep ups to the viewer. A very capable Deon Lotz plays François in an excellent performance filled with subtle anger, rage, jealousy and obsession. These feeling progressively take their toll on the unsuspecting Christian, brilliantly portrayed by Charlie Keegan with a devastating innocence and magnetic charm that will keep audiences disturbed long after experiencing this film. Family man Francois van Heerden is a haven of many secrets. Secrets that deteriorate as well as rot the insides. In his endurance of life's test and family matters, François is able to keep an expected straight face in his daily dealings as he slowly asphyxiates for attention from his daughter's mate Christian. Christian, on the other hand, not only regards Francois as an elderly figure worthy of respect due to friendship ties with his father but refers to him as "uncle", an adoptive role soon to be tested by an ever raging need to relate in highly improbable ways unbeknown to an oblivious Christian . However, we get the sense that Christian honestly looked up to Francois as an additional father figure source. The platonic dealings slowly eats away at Francois as he repeatedly insists Christian refer to him by his name in order to detract from the connecting familiar upbringing which seems to awkwardly remind Francois to hold back on his planned intentions. Effective scheming leads to the an extremely troubling conclusion based on a number of deliberate choices and sequential actions meant to pander to the vile objectives to be executed. Upon the enforcement of his plans, François realizes the results are now irreversible. The damage is done and permanent. The post mutilating events leads to reparations that will ultimately render Francois unrepentant and numb to an uneven arrangement. The brilliance of this story falls within the mix bag of emotions this film emits. The film is beautifully haunting as it unfolds, yet extremely ugly. "Beauty" is a cinematic gem worthy of attention because it will illicit a variety of strong and deep long lasting reactions. It will encourage dialogue with other viewers immediately after watching regarding its many unanswered questions of what could have been.