Nostalgia and apocalypticism in two post-apartheid films

Abstract

This paper presents readings of Jason Xenopoulos’s film Promised Land (2003) and Treurgrond (2015), directed by Daryl Roodt. It considers both of these films to be trapped – with different ideological consequences – between “restorative nostalgia” and apocalyptic anticipation. Following a reading of each of the films, I argue that both inscribe a linear temporality reminiscent of monotheistic theology and that, trapped within the confines of this provenance, neither can imagine a meaningful version of “living on” in the post-apartheid dispensation. An alternative to the mundanity of linear temporality is suggested through a brief examination of recent psychosocial work by Derek Hook.

Keywords: Afrikanerdom, apocalypse, nostalgia, Promised Land (film), temporality, Treurgrond (film)