Themes: Social Injustice, Race Relations, Members of the Press
Main Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Juliette Binoche, Brendan Gleeson, Menzi Ngubane, Sam Ngakane
Release Year: 2004
Country: US/UK/IE
Run Time: 103 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The many emotional scars left by South Africa's history of institutionalized racism come under the microscope in this drama. As South Africa comes to terms with the legacy of apartheid, their government has created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in which the perpetrators of racial violence and injustice must come face to face with their victims if they are to be forgiven for their crimes. Langston Whitfield (Samuel L. Jackson) is an African-American journalist who is assigned to cover these hearings by The Washington Post; Whitfield doubts the efficacy of this process, and sets out to interview Col. De Jager (Brendan Gleeson), a notorious former officer of the South African police who was famous for his violence against blacks in order to put this method to the test. While in South Africa, Whitfield meets Anna Malan (Juliette Binoche), an Afrikaner poet who is covering the hearing for a radio station and is both appalled and disturbed by the details of the violence inflicted against her countrymen. After striking up a friendship, Whitfield and Malan become romantically involved as they try to come to terms with their feelings about what they've learned. Also screened under the title Country of My Skull, In My Country was adapted from a book by South African author Antjie Krog. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Aletta Bezuidenhout - Elsa; Lionel Newton - Edward Morgan; Langley Kirkwood - Boetie; Owen Sejake - Reverend Mzondo; Harriet Manamela - Albertina Sobandla; Louis Van Niekirk - Willem Malan; Jeremiah Ndlovu - Old Man in Wheelbarrow; Fiona Ramsay - Felicia Rheinhardt; Charley Boorman - Adam Hartley; Garick Hagon - Pilot; Andre Jacobs - Judge; Russell Johnson - Schempers; Terry Norton - Lilly; Greg Latter - Sgt. Dreyer; Trix Pienaar - B&B Lady; Andrew Johnson - Taxi Driver; Thembi Mtshali - Lizzie; Paul Eilers - Police General; Connie Chiume - Mrs. Tabata; Robert Hobbs - Van Deventer; Nicholas Andrews - Chris; Grant Brett Swanby - Johan; Nambitha Mpumlwana - Woman; Junior Singo - Troy; Nick Boraine - Jack Marlon; Thami Ngubeni - Deborah's Aunt; Lillian Dube - Woman; Dan Robbertse - De Smidt; Paul Dirkson - One Man Band; Lwando Nondzaba - Peter Makeba; Albert Maritz - Farmer; Sizwe Msutu - Gilbert; Dumisani Mbebe - Kenneth; Sunu Gonera - Lionel; Seumus Keir - Simon; Justin Creasey - Jonty; Yolanda Methvin - Deborah; Anthony Fridjohn - Tony Brown; Bheki Vilakazi - Perpetrator 1; Louw Venter - Alec; Wayne Harrison - Brian; Alyce Chavunduka - Newsreader; Namhla Ndlovu - Woman; Lee Duru - Woman; Johan Marais - De Jager's Security; Morgan O'Callaghan - De Jager's Security; Frederrick Dannhauser - De Jager's Security; Lilian Khumalo - Commissioner; Genesis Canda - Commissioner; Tony Finley - Commissioner; Biah Mokgobu - Commissioner; Anthony Karriem - Commissioner; Milton Daka - Commissioner; Hiportia Hlatana - Commissioner; Jefferine October - Commissioner; Noliyanda Pike - Commissioner; Beverley Bownes - Commissioner; Justice Khontyo - 2nd Judge; Denzil Campbel - 3rd Judge; Christina Ntsomi - Woman Phone Booth - Corn Field; Xhantyi Nqayi - Herd Boy; Lulama Nombiba - Langston's Father; Jean Abrahams - Langston's Mother-in-Law; Cindi Sampson - Deborah's Aunt; Michelle Zaaiman - Inge; Natasha Kotze - Inge (Voice); Natalie Dippenaar - Johan's Wife; Zoliswa Mabawa - Malan Farmhouse Maid; Elizabeth Mokoatsana - Crying Woman; John Coom - Farmer's Father-in-Law; Noel Coom - Farmer's Mother-in-Law; Shannen Mackay - Farmer's Daughter; Xola Luse - Perpetrator 2; Sacky Veto - Old Man's Grandson; Mohogany Singiswa - Old Man's Comforter; Moho Seabela - Albertina's Friend; Zingisa Kobo - Albertina's Friend; Landiwe Hans - Albertina's Friend; John Zacharis - Langston's Driver; Jamo Jahjah - Soccer Ref; Brian Niewoudt - Boere Orkes Band; Endrie Nel - Boere Orkes Band; Nic DuToit - Boere Orkes Band; Stompie Heyns - Boere Orkes Band; Susanna Vermeulen - Boere Orkes Band; Morris Uberstein - Bottle Shop Owner; Lara Bye - Alec's Wife; Marisa Sarfatti - PR Person; Phumla Stamper - Translator; Warona Seane - Translator; John Langemann - Afrikaner Next to Anna at Hearing; Nkuli Kgositsile - Woman With Applications; Suzanne Bassett - Anna Look-a-Like; Amber Stodel - Lily's Daughter; Yavor Radkov - Taxi Driver
Credit
Emilia Roux-Weavind - Art Director, Peter Fudakowski - Associate Producer, Niles Helmboldt - Associate Producer, Jo Katsaras - Costume Designer, Diana Keam - First Assistant Director, Kevan Barker - First Assistant Director, John Boorman - Director, Ron Davis - Editor, Jamie Brown - Executive Producer, Chris Auty - Executive Producer, Mfundi Vundla - Executive Producer, Neil Peplow - Executive Producer, Duncan Reid - Executive Producer, Sam Bhembe - Executive Producer, Philip King - Musical Direction/Supervision, Tina Moran - Musical Direction/Supervision, Derek Wallace - Production Designer, Seamus Deasy - Cinematographer, John Boorman - Producer, Robert Chartoff - Producer, Mike Medavoy - Producer, David Wicht - Producer, Kieran Corrigan - Producer, Sam Bhembe - Producer, Lynn Hendee - Producer, Tom Johnson - Sound/Sound Designer, John Fitzgerald - Sound/Sound Designer, Ann Peacock - Screenwriter, Brian Masterson - Music Editor, Antjie Krog - Book Author
A special screening of the film was held for Nelson Mandela in December 2003 in the presence of John Boorman, Juliette Binoche and Robert Chartoff. Mandela liked the film and provided producers with a quote for promotion of the film:
"A beautiful and important film about South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It will engage and influence not only South Africans, but people all over the world concerned with the great questions of human reconciliation, forgiveness, and tolerance."
The movie deals with the story of Afrikaner poet Anna Malan (Binoche) and an American journalist, Langston Whitfield (Jackson), sent to South Africa to report about the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings.
Location & Production
Filming took place in and around Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula. Capetonians and travellers familiar with the city will recognise several well known land-marks co-opted to represent scenes within the film:
The South African Museum, The Gardens, Cape Town
Tuin Huis
Table Mountain
The Countryside and surrounds of Paarl and Malmesbury.
The film made heavy use of distinguished South African actors and actresses of all backgrounds for both bit and prominent parts. In addition, authenticity was greater than many other productions both before and since through the use of actual furniture, fixtures, motor vehicles and many other touches to ensured that The Country of My Skull is a remarkably South African production.
Of further note is that the film spanned in virtually the entire country's fund of technical talent at the SABC and other film studios.
Criticism
While the film was thought to have its "heart and politics in the right place" it was otherwise panned by the Washington Post as a "formula romance", in which Binoche fails at the Afrikaans accent and Jackson's character, Langston Whitfield, lacks credibility as a Post reporter[1].
However, the Washington Post's view is not shared by most South African critics. In many ways the film is considered expurgatorial socially, and perhaps a vital document for making plain the need met with the end of Apartheid and its many abuses, allowing South Africa to develop as a society.
While the Washington Post might speak with authority on the subject of Langston Whitfield, South African critics disagree strongly on the paper's appraisal of Juliet Binoche's performance, and for which they have ample background for a very different conclusion. Juliet Binoche's performance in the lead is considered a high point of voice acting by most South African viewers - many South Africans watching the film for the first time actively wondered which of their countrywoman was on screen at the time, since Binoche's vocal inflections are in actual fact a flawless Western Cape Afrikaans-English accent. Revelation at the end of the film of the leading lady's nationality drew audible gasps from audiences when the film premiered in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
