Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by André Carl van der Merwe, the film depicts mandatory conscription into the notorious South African Defence Force (SADF) during apartheid through the eyes of a young closeted character Nicholas van der Swart (Kai Luke Brümmer) as he attempts to hide his attraction to another gay recruit (Ryan de Villiers) in a hostile environment.

A shy teenager, Nicholas van der Swart, like all white South African males over 16, is forced to undergo two years of compulsory military service in the SADF.

There are details that set Nicholas apart: that, despite his Afrikaans surname from his stepfather, he is English-speaking; and as he finds quiet solidarity in and connection with another recruit Dylan Stassen, that he is gay, the latter of which is a punishable crime and could land him in the ominous Ward 22 if he were found out.

It tells the story of Nicholas discovering his sexuality in a dangerous context, and the irony and trauma of being forced to defend a regime that oppresses him and an ideology he does not agree with.

A few drafts later, he got to work on the script himself, widening the scope to examine the hate politics and toxic white masculinity that Apartheid tried to indoctrinate into a generation of men, both agents and property of the state, using Nicholas as a point of view.

The website's critic consensus reads: "Moffie uses one South African soldier's story to grapple against a series of thorny questions – with rough yet rewarding results.

[27] In June 2024, a stage monologue of Moffie, adapted by Philip Rademeyer and presented by the Fugard Theatre Archive, premiered at Riverside Studios in West London, with Kai Luke Brümmer reprising the lead role.