# The Smell of Apples Review

> John Trengove's film exposes apartheid-era privilege through a child's chilling perspective.
- Title: The Smell of Apples Review · Variety | Shortify
- Summary: John Trengove's film exposes apartheid-era privilege through a child's chilling perspective. A South African director's film reveals apartheid-era privilege…
- Keywords: the smell of apples, john trengove, apartheid, south africa, film review, child's perspective, affluent afrikaner family, entertainment, culture, Smell, Apples, Review
- Source: Variety — https://variety.com/2026/film/news/the-smell-of-apples-review-1236869637
- Author: Guy Lodge
- Published: 2026-09-19T20:14:52+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: the smell of apples, john trengove, apartheid, south africa, film review, child's perspective, affluent afrikaner family, entertainment, culture
## Director returns after disappointment
South African director John Trengove follows up his disappointing sophomore feature 'Manodrome' with this adaptation of Mark Behr's 1993 novel.
## Period detail precision
Production designer Birrie Le Roux creates an eerie mid-1970s white South Africa with gawkily short uniforms and ickily patterned kitchen tiles.
## Director's visual style
DP Lennert Hillege captures the setting in softly lit, summer-burnt perfection without nostalgia.
## Child's perspective
The film follows an 11-year-old boy's growing awareness of apartheid-era inequalities without innocence.
## Chilling reality
The child's view reveals how much he doesn't know about the systemic abuses supporting his affluent family life.
## Key takeaway

A South African director's film reveals apartheid-era privilege through a child's unflinching view of inequality.