The Swenkas

As unexpected as it is poignant, Danish director Jeppe Ronde's marvelous documentary explores an unusual tradition among working-class South African gentlemen who primp, preen and model their best clothes for an all-male audience. On Saturday nights the Zulu men who call themselves "Swenkas" dust off their workaday selves and dress up in their finest duds — smart suits, sparkling shirts, crisp pocket squares, natty hats and, most importantly, snazzy socks — and strut before a judge in a basement club for relatively meager cash prizes and the honor of being the best-dressed man in Johannesburg. Using the voice of a wizened old traveler to narrate the film, Ronde reinf...