The newly released coming-of-age comedy Just Now Jeffrey has received high praise for its world-class production, beautiful cinematography, art direction, and catchy soundtrack. Directed by Brett Morris and Hylton Tannenbaum, the film features some of South Africa’s best comedic talent, including Rob van Vuuren, Nicky Rebelo, Nik Rabinowitz, and Natasha Loring. Newcomers Julian Robinson and Dino Vavatzanidis take the lead as two teenagers dealing with hormonal life in Johannesburg during the late 1980s.
Jeffrey Greenbaum (Robinson) just wants to lose his virginity, and he convinces his best friend Brad Berman (Vavatzanidis) to help him devise a strategy to achieve this before they finish high school. However, things don’t go according to plan, and they soon become entangled in a crazy web of love, lust, rugby violence, political protest, and pornography.
The film has been snapped up by international film festivals in Toronto, Beverly Hills, and Poland, as well as local cinemas Ster-Kinekor, Nu Metro, the Labia, and Bioscope. The soundtrack combines original music scored by Alun Richards with a range of local and international 1980s hits by artists, including Twisted Sister, Soft Cell, and Joy.
Just Now Jeffrey has been several years in the making, and the directors aimed to create a unique coming-of-age comedy that represents the complexities of growing up in 1980s South Africa. They wanted to show the nuances across the political spectrum during that time, giving a voice to a generation that grew up in South Africa towards the end of apartheid. The film has been praised for its originality, and festival directors have said it is something they have never seen before.
