| Director | Jack Lewis, John Greyson |
|---|---|
| Genre | LGBT-related film, drama film, historical film, prison film, romance film |
| Runtime | 100 min |
| Country | Canada, South Africa |
Set in 18th-century South Africa, the film dramatises the true story of Claas Blank (Rouxnet Brown) and Rijkhaart Jacobsz (Neil Sandilands), two prisoners on Robben Island. Herder Claas Blank is serving 10 years for "insulting a Dutch citizen" and Rijkhaart is a Dutch sailor convicted of committing "unnatural acts" with another man. The two men, initially hostile to each other, form a secret relationship, using trips to a private water tank to bond. Their relationship has a racial component, as Jacobsz was a Dutchman, while Blank was a Khoi.
Virgil Niven (Shawn Smyth), a Scottish botanist, befriends Blank for his knowledge of South African flora, including the protea. It is suggested that he may have a sexual interest in Blank.
In 1735, Blank and Jacobsz are executed for sodomy, by being drowned, after jealousy by other inmates caused problems within the jail.
The film ends with an extract from the speech Nelson Mandela made at his sentencing hearing in 1964, before he was imprisoned on Robben Island.