In My Country (2004)

A journalist and a poetess meet during the hearings of South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Director:

John Boorman

Writers:

Antjie Krog (book), Ann Peacock (screenplay)

Stars:

Juliette Binoche, Samuel L. Jackson, Brendan Gleeson

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Langston Whitfield
Juliette Binoche	...	Anna Malan
Brendan Gleeson	...	Col. de Jager
Menzi Ngubane	...	Dumi Mkhalipi (as Menzi 'Ngubs' Ngubane)
Sam Ngakane	...	Anderson
Aletta Bezuidenhout	...	Elsa Malan
Lionel Newton	...	Edward Morgan
Langley Kirkwood	...	Boetie Malan
Owen Sejake	...	Reverend Mzondo
Harriet Lenabe	...	Albertina Sobandla (as Harriet Manamela)
Louis van Niekerk	...	Willem Malan
Jeremiah Ndlovu	...	Old Man in Wheelbarrow
Fiona Ramsay	...	Felicia Rheinhardt
Dan Robbertse	...	Sgt. de Smidt (as Daniel Robbertse)
Robert Hobbs	...	Van Deventer

Storyline

Langston Whitfield is a Washington Post journalist. His editor provocatively sends him to South Africa to cover the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, in which the perpetrators of murder and torture on both sides during Apartheid are invited to come forward and confront their victims. By telling the unvarnished truth and expressing contrition, they may be granted amnesty. Can the deep wounds of Apartheid be healed through reconciliation? Langston is deeply skeptical. He tracks down Colonel De Jager, the most notorious torturer in the South African Police and tries to penetrate the mind of a monster, an experience that obliges him to confront his own demons. Anna Malan is an Afrikaans poet who is covering the hearings for radio. As a white South African, she is shattered by the accounts of the cruelty and depravity committed by her fellow countrymen. Anna and Langston must question their sense of identity. Where do they each belong? How responsible are they for what is done ...

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | victim | cruelty | reconciliation | hearing | 

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Taglines:

A South African Story of Truth, Love and Reconcilliation

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, including descriptions of atrocities, and for a scene of violence

Details

Official Sites:

Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite Official site [Italy]

Country:

UK Ireland South Africa

Language:

English Afrikaans

Release Date:

7 May 2004 (Italy)

Also Known As:

In My Country

Filming Locations:

Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,383, 13 March 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$163,536, 19 June 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chartoff Productions, Film Afrika Worldwide, Film Consortium

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The term "make a plan" used by Sergeant Dreyer (Greg Latter) is a common one among South Africans. It usually has a positive meaning of being willing and capable of finding a way to resolve something, but here it is used as a euphemism for killing someone.

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Goofs

All number plates on vehicles throughout the film (apart from archival footage) are fake and do not follow the format of older South African number plates.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nelson Mandela: Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.

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Connections

References Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

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Soundtracks

Senzenina
Arranged by Murray Anderson & Warrick Swinney
Performed by Princess Soi-Soi Gqeza, Mxolisi Mayekane, Mandia Lande, Michael Ludonga, Simpiwe Matole & The New Teenage Gospel Choir
Published by Hi-Z Sound

User Reviews

While not as powerful as "Hotel Rwanda," John Boorman's look at the relationship between whites and blacks in post-Apartheid South Africa is compelling nonetheless!

Director John Boorman has taken on a weighty and incendiary subject, much like Terry George's recent take on genocide in "Hotel Rwanda." Although "In My Country" is set post-Apartheid, it still covers a hot topic: what do you do with the people that are to blame when a genocide occurs? President Nelson Mandela formed a commission to get at the truth and in return for that information he was offering amnesty for those government officers that were only 'following orders'. An amazing precedent to say the least.

However, director Boorman has chosen to balance the emotional testimony of the victims with a sometimes humorous side-story involving an American journalist, played by the great Samuel L. Jackson ("Coach Carter") and a local 'white' radio reporter, played by the equally great Juliette Binoche ("The English Patient").

Certainly, a story of this import deserves a documentary but as it stands, this is as close as any American will ever get to this story since many newspapers buried it when it originally occurred. Racism is an ugly thing, but forgiveness is a beautiful thing and this movie balances the two in an effective and entertaining manner.

Check this one out, especially if you are a fan of "Hotel Rwanda" and hearing the 'truth' for a change.