Since her son Donovan was shot at a year ago, Shirley Adams from Cape Town finds herself facing problems. Because her child sinks deeper and deeper into his mental and physical misery, she keeps from him the shocking news about who the culprit was.
Since her son Donovan was shot a year ago, Shirley Adams has been drowned in worries. Her days are filled with caring for her now-handicapped son. The South African woman from Cape Town has no job, no partner and her meagre income is needed to pay for Donovan's medical bills. When a young, committed therapist comes into their lives, the loving mother hopes that Donovan will improve mentally. However, she chooses to keep quiet about the sudden news that a childhood friend of his was responsible for the shot that maimed him, because her son is sinking further and further into his physical and mental misery.
With this socially realistic portrait, Oliver Hermanus shines a light on the violence and poverty that has dominated South Africa since apartheid. Shirley Adams, which has already been screened at international film festivals including Toronto and Locarno, is Hermanus's first full-length feature.