apartheid
The true story of an Apartheid scandal
Imagine yourself in the height of apartheid, standing at a wire fence looking at the face of another on the other side. One white, one black. But not a single other difference.
This is how the main character in the 1987 movie Cry Freedom, Donald Woods, felt when he was looking into the injustices of the South African government.
Richard Attenborough’s historical thriller, based on a true story, is a film one should watch for a bit of enlightenment about this era. The entrancing story is the tale of journalist Donald Woods (Kevin Kline) who feels the need to learn the real truth about black settlements around his nation. During his journey, he meets black-activist Steve Biko (Denzel Washington), and soon befriends him, accepting him as one of his own. Biko has banned for his outspoken ideas, and thus when caught sneaking out of his settlement by an Afrikaner officer, he is bludgeoned to death. This incident was covered up by the police, and it was written that Biko had perished of a self-inflicted hunger strike. Woods, a rational and intelligent man, immediately suspects this is a lie, and springs into action.
The struggle for truth and justice is the theme of the movie, and it is well portrayed through the eyes of the character. While the beginning of the movie is a tad slow, it is still worth watching for the well-written dialogue and interesting information about the apartheid.
Rated PG for violence and brief language.
Extra Terrestrial Intelligence
There are some films that effortlessly balance the unfathomable elements of a science fiction classic; District 9 is one of those. Executed with subtlety and thought, self-awareness and technical skill, this film displays the strength of the science fiction genre when the plot is given as much attention as the visual display.
District 9 is set in post-apartheid South Africa, 20 years after a race of extra-terrestrial beings become marooned on planet Earth, rescued from their mother-ship and subsequently ostracised in a slum on the edge of Johannesburg, forced to trade their technology for food and shunned by every strata of humankind. Initial excitement of their arrival gives way to racism, fear and disgust of the alien species who become known derogatorily as ‘Prawns’ due to their physical similarity with the crustacean, and their enforced status at the foot of the social ladder.
The story follows Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), an affable if unexceptional employee of the Blackwater-esque security agency, the Mutlinational united (MNU). Wikus is tasked with leading a mission to drive the slum dwelling aliens to a fully segregated enclosure in the South African desert. However, the line between the alien and human races becomes blurred when Wikus is infected with alien DNA and forced to hide within District 9.
What unfolds is as much a comment on human paranoia and apartheid as it is a science fiction action film, giving District 9 merit as an emotionally engaging story rather than a traditional effects laden alien movie. However, what makes District 9 distinctly noticeable from its peers is that the extra terrestrials are a largely benevolent species. The ‘Prawns’ are portrayed as the victims, a race thrust into an unfamiliar and frightening survival, bullied and extorted by gangs and public agencies alike. The realism and pathos created by this approach draws the viewer to care for the story before the action, allowing the special effects to embellish the underlying plot, rather than form it, though the effects are still of the highest order.
Perhaps part of the necessity of a strong story was created by a limited filming budget for first time director Niall Blomkamp, although it is probably simply due to the skill of both director and Hollywood mainstay, Peter Jackson (The Lord Of The Rings trilogy), as producer, that creates such a confident and cleanly executed offering.
Technical intelligence is used also in the cinematography of the film, with many sections filmed in a documentary style, creating a more realistic feel, and providing the excitement of putting the viewer into the action. The realism is given additional gravitas as a result of the cast being largely unknown on the international stage, who do an admirable job of conveying both the subtler emotions required by the multi-layered plot, and more extrovert acting required for the action sequences, though it is the story itself that shines as the guiding strength of the film. Copley is particularly well suited to the desperate realisation tof transforming from the majority racial group towards the ostracised alien minority, a performance echoing Jeff Goldblum’s desperate struggle in The Fly. Occasionally the scenes are slightly over-acted, but generally the character reactions are perfectly believable.
District 9 is an impressive achievement for a debutant director exhibiting a reassuring confidence in a genre too easily marred by heavy-handed plot construction, and underestimation of the viewer’s ability to engage in an emotionally binding story involving radical elements, such as extra terrestrials. District 9 is an example of great film making, created by skilled practitioners. A modern science fiction classic may just have landed.
