The Recce

The South African Border War was a military struggle between South African, Namibian and Angolan forces lasting from the mid-1960s to 1990, but to this day, it is relatively unknown internationally. On a grand scale, the democratic West fought the communist East for the future of the entire continent. At ground level though, young men became human wrecks, both physically and mentally; they came home to wives they never knew and families they felt no connection with. Henk is a “recce” – a highly trained operator in the South African special forces. He’s sent on a mission behind enemy lines. Separated from his pregnant wife, he cannot give his best and makes a costly mistake which will haunt many people for years to come. Focusing on Henk, the film-makers tell a story of the war’s impact on a whole nation – on fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and soldiers and civilians. (Camerimage)