Skin (2008/I)

Director:

Anthony Fabian

Writers:

Helen Crawley (writer)
Anthony Fabian (story)

Release Date:

24 July 2009 (UK)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era. |

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title

Awards:

10 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Zoea Alberts	...	Shower Girl
Nomathamsanga Baleka	...	Factory Worker's Friend
Graeme Bloch	...	Bailiff
Ruaan Bok	...	Young Henry
Ben Botha	...	Dawie
Hannes Brummer	...	Leon Laing
Charlotte Butler	...	Woman 2
Tongai Arnold Chirisa	...	Young Priest
Onida Cowan	...	Miss Uys
Jeremy Crutchley	...	WNN Reporter
Lauren Das Neves	...	Elize
Jose Domingos	...	Male Journalist #1
Terri Ann Eckstein	...	Elsie Laing
Nomkhosi Gidigidi	...	Maid in Pretoria
Jacques Gombault	...	Bearded Teacher
Kyle Grant	...	French Boy
Jakkie Groenewald	...	White Foreman
Lourens Groenewald	...	Willy Meyer
Nicole Holme	...	Miss Ludik
Danny Keogh	...	Van Tonder
Tony Kgoroge	...	Petrus Zwane
Alice Krige	...	Sannie Laing
Charmaine Kweyama	...	Fat Civil Servant
Mpho Lekalakala	...	Swazi Cop 1
Matthew Lotter	...	Abusive Teen
Gladys Mahlangu	...	Sangoma
Bongani Masondo	...	Henry Laing
Simon Mdohki	...	Joseph
Stephen Mofokeng	...	Black Gardener
Tumi Morake	...	Thembi
Sam Neill	...	Abraham Laing
Ivy Nkutha	...	Drunk Woman
Nomhlé Nkyonyeni	...	Jenny Zwane
Burger Nortje	...	Fat Boy
Sophie Okonedo	...	Sandra Laing
Jonathan Pienaar	...	Van Niekerk
Hector Rabopaphe	...	Swazi Cop 2
Ella Ramangwane	...	Young Sandra
Fiona Ramsey	...	Woman at Church
Tiaan Rautenbach	...	Tall Policeman
Roland Read	...	Classmate
Nicole Regelous	...	Female Journalist 1
Dan Robbertse	...	Factory Forman
Duan Saayman	...	Cobus
Stacey Sachs	...	Thin Secretary
Elizabeth Serunye	...	Woman in shop
Saint Seseli	...	Black Clerk
Malusi Skenjana	...	Minivan Driver
Valesika Smith	...	Factory Worker
Andre Stoltz	...	White Clerk
Danie Struwig	...	Male Journalist #2
Elriza Swanepoel	...	Tiny Woman
Jonathan Taylor	...	Sound Recordist
Carel Trichardt	...	Magistrate
Leana Truitsman	...	Annie
Anna-Mart van der Merwe	...	Anna Roux
Karien Van Der Merwe	...	Nurse Beukes
Gordon Van Rooyen	...	Judge Galgut
Cobus Venter	...	Johann
Morne Visser	...	Dr Sparks
Drikus Volschenk	...	Forced Removal Policeman
Kate-Lyn Von Meyer	...	Young Elsie
Khalem Willet	...	Adriaan Laing
Faniswa Yisa	...	Nora

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:107 min | Canada:107 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK | South Africa

Language:

English | Zulu

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #45534)

Company:

Elysian Films

Back In The Bad Old Days

Anthony Fabian's 'Skin'is a powerful drama of South Africa's shameful history of white colonial Apartheit rule,that was thankfully overthrown. The story starts in 1965 when a young ten year old girl, Sandra has been thrown out of school for being black,despite the fact that she is of white,European parents. Her father,Abraham (played by screen veteran,Sam Neill)fights to get her back in school,by challenging the South African courts to insist that she's white). When he is unsuccessful,the family resigns to the fact that their daughter has to deal with the burden that she will be treated badly,because she is regarded as black. As the years go by,Sandra (now played as an adult by Sophie Okonedo,who absolutely shone in 'Hotel Rwanda')has grown into a beautiful woman,who is desired by one of the black locals, which disturbs Abe much (Abe is as much a vile racist as the rest of the population of the town). The rest of the film spans over a twenty plus year time frame that tells much of South Africa's social history,set against Sandra's tempestuous own personal history. The cast is rounded out by Alice Krige (as Sandra's long suffering mother,Sannie),Tony Kgorogue,as Sandra's lover & father of her children, who turns out to be hot tempered & abusive toward Sandra, as well as a cast of South African actors that turn in shining performances. The screenplay (written by Helen Crawley,Jessie Keyl & Helena Kriel) makes the most out of what was easily a dark period in South Africa's social history (and what some,even to this day,would love nothing better than to do but bring back). As this film is an import,there is no MPAA rating,but contains some strong language,brief nudity & sexuality,and some truly disturbing images of racist fueled violence.