In apartheid-era Johannesburg, 1989, 17-year-old Jeffrey Greenbaum is obsessed with one goal: losing his virginity before high school ends — and before the country implodes. Alongside his loyal, awkward best friend Brad, Jeffrey embarks on a wildly ambitious mission involving stolen VHS porn, illegal duplications, a schoolyard sales scheme, and a run-in with a corrupt state broadcaster turned smut kingpin.

 

Set against the absurd contradictions of a Jewish adolescence in a collapsing society, Just Now Jeffrey is an hilariously irreverent coming-of-age comedy that blends raunchiness with heart, satire with sincerity. Think Superbad meets Jojo Rabbit, with a South African twist.

 

But beneath the dirty jokes, absurd teenage schemes, and illicit sex tapes, lies something deeper: a sweet and sharp look at family, identity, and growing up in a country on the brink of a new democracy. With unforgettable characters - from the bigoted uncle sharing a bunkbed in Jeffrey's room, to the matriarchal domestic worker who sees right through Jeffrey’s juvenile schemes — the film paints a nostalgic, no-holds-barred portrait of late-80s suburban South Africa.

 

As Jeffrey's plans backfire and apartheid finally crumbles, he starts to confront bigger questions — about privilege, race, rebellion, and love. And, of course, what it really means to become a man.

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With rich period detail, a nostalgic 80s soundtrack and bold stylistic flourishes, with a tone that careens joyfully from filthy to profound, Just Now Jeffrey is a love letter to the chaos of adolescence in a country on the cusp of radical change. 

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