Long Night's Journey Into Day (2000)

This documentary tells four stories of Apartheid in South Africa, as seen through the eyes of the Truth and Reconciliation commission. White soldiers who have killed ANC activists, black ... See full summary »

Directors:

Deborah Hoffmann, Frances Reid

Stars:

Mary Burton, Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Mongezi Manqina

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mary Burton	...	Herself
Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela	...	Herself
Mongezi Manqina	...	Herself
Thapelo Mbelo	...	Himself
Robert McBride	...	Himself
Helen Mirren	...	Narrator
Jann Turner	...	Herself
Desmond Tutu	...	Himself (as Archbishop Desmond Tutu)
Tony Weaver	...	Himself
Glenda Wildschut	...	Herself

Storyline

This documentary tells four stories of Apartheid in South Africa, as seen through the eyes of the Truth and Reconciliation commission. White soldiers who have killed ANC activists, black activists who have killed whites in political attacks: can there be forgiveness when the full truth comes out?

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Plot Keywords:

apartheid | south africa | independent film

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Taglines:

Looking into a dark past for a bright future.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

California Newsreel

Country:

USA

Language:

English Afrikaans

Release Date:

20 December 2001 (Australia)

Also Known As:

To makry taxidi tis nyhtas mesa sti mera!

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,027 (USA) (31 March 2000)

Gross:

$9,932 (USA) (31 March 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Reid-Hoffmann Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Mississippi Burning (1988)

User Reviews

Human perspective and catharsis

This documentary tells four true stories of apartheid in South Africa. As one of the people in the film points out, there is a Kafkaesque atmosphere about people confessing their atrocities in order to seek amnesty.

The point of both the hearings in the film and of the film itself is to be able to heal by facing the truth. Only in facing the past can we prevent ourselves from repeating it. We must remember the true horrors that humans can make for other humans. That is the only sane way of sustaining a better world that can emerge from the chaos.

Not an easy film to watch, there are times when anguish flies off the screen into the viewer. But purgation comes from witnessing truth, accepting it, and guarding against the evil within us that is capable of such horror. This is a human story that will alter your perspective on life.