Mugabe and the White African is in essence a thriller: a documentary about white farmers facing mortal threat from the government of Zimbabwe—President Robert Mugabe's thugs beat old white people to within inches of their lives, and sometimes kill them, in the name of avenging colonialism and taking land back. The filming took place in secret (so as not to expose the white Campbell family to further violence), and the shaky scenes include an explosive, rare-in-its-candidness discussion between a Mugabean enforcer and the 75-year-old elder Campbell about Europe, Africa, history, and power. It leaves you bothered in part because of its own omissions: Mugabe focuses on the few white farmers rather than the many black farmhands, who are far worse off. (SIFF Cinema, 321 Mercer St, thestranger.com/siff. 7 pm, $11.)