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 ...

---

Plot Keywords:

watching tv | victim | cruelty | reconciliation | hearing | 

---

Taglines:

A South African Story of Truth, Love and Reconcilliation

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

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 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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Connections

References Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

---

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

A captivating lesson

I watched this film with 2 buddies of mine. One was a Native South African, the other is engaged to one, and I studied for a year in Cape Town.

I was not the most spectacular film in the world, but it did contain truth. It told a worthwhile story that shouldn't be forgotten. It was not entertainment, but a captivating lesson in history.

My friends and I are normal. We are not emotionally unstable, nor are we socially inept. We cried so hard during this movie that when the credits began rolling people asked us if we were OK. Not everyone was affected the way we were. I suppose that we just miss Africa.

If you're into this sort of movie, it's worth the rental.