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

1 win & 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 | washington post | victim | cruelty | reconciliation | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The exterior scenes and shots of the TRC hearings (for instance where Anna (Juliette Binoche) and Dumi (Menzi Ngubane) first meet) were shot on the forecourt of the South African Museum in the Company Gardens in Cape Town's city center. At least some of the internal scenes were shot in the Centre for the Book, which is down the road from the Museum and has curving corridors.

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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

Laat My Staan
Composed by Murray Anderson & Warrick Swinney
Arranged as Brandewyn by Murray Anderson & Warrick Swinney
Performed by Paul Dirksen & Murray Anderson
Published by Hi-Z Sound

User Reviews

Misjudged story of tenderness

COUNTRY OF MY SKULL aka IN MY COUNTRY is no masterpiece thats for sure, but it has been unfairly slaughtered by critics who were expecting something else entirely.

The film is set against the real life "Truth and Reconcilliation Commission" set up in South Africa after apartheid in order to begin the process of healing the wounds of a divided nation.

However this commission is not the subject of the film, it is the setting. The main drama of the film emanates from the love/hate relationship between journalists Langston Whitfield (Samuel L.Jackson) and Anna Malan (Juliette Binoche).

Whitfield, a Washington Post journalist, is sent to South Africa to cover the hearings. He meets local journalist Anna Malan who is covering the hearings for radio. She trusts the commission entirely and believes forgiveness is the only way forward for her country.

Whitfield however places no trust in a system that does not punish. The pair immediately clash and begin a battle of wills.

however soon the enormity of the evidence they hear draws them together into an affair.

Boorman is not interested in exploring the TRC as a system or it's successes and failures. Instead he is more interested in its impact on his two vastly different protagonists, who must confront issues of race and gender in their own relationship as much as in their work. This is the films strength and weakness. It is beautifully intimate yet is set in a time of great social upheaval which is all but ignored.

The other major problem is that much of the early dialogue sets out to explain the political and social setting rather than define the characters. This leads to somewhat inane characterisation.

With Binoche however Boorman has struck it lucky. Her hard work is evident and although her character is poorly drawn the actresses understanding of emotion allows us to read much into her performance. Even her Afrikaans accent is passable. She displays an incredible tenderness throughout the film. Jackson however does not fair as well, giving a sullen and almost lethargic performance.

To call COUNTRY OF MY SKULL an utter failure as has been suggested by some critics is unfair. With his female protagonist and interesting setting Boorman's sincerity is beyond question and for that alone he deserves praise.

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

Gross USA:

$163,893

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,491,434

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