Skin (2008/I)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

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. |

Awards:

6 wins

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

Runtime:

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

Company:

Elysian Films

Good film based on a true story

I saw this last month at the 2009 Palm springs International Film Festival. This is based on the true story set in South Africa during the Apartheid system of a Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), who was born of dark skin to two Afrikaaners of white Eropean descent Abraham (Sam Neill) and Sannie (Alice Krige) Laing. Sandra is a genetic throwback because unknown to her parents, and like many Afrikaaners, there was mixed blood in their heritage between the Euopeans who settled in South Africa and the indigenous Africans. The story begins with Sophie getting expelled from an all-white school because of her differences in appearance. She is reclassified as dark. Her father (who is himself a bigot) fights to have her reclassified as white. She eventually is but against her family wishes she causes an unbreakable divide when she decides to marry a black man and have herself reclassified yet again as black. This is the feature film directorial debut of writer/director Anthony Fabian who was also present at my screening for an audience Q&A. The screenplay is from Helen Crawley but there was a book written recently by author Judith Stone called When She Was White that goes more into the complete story of Sophie's life. This film covers Sophie from around age 10 through her first marriage. Both Fabian's film and Stone's book had the cooperation of Sophie herself in their making. An excellent cast with three veterans in the principal roles with Neill, Krige, and the young but very busy Okonedo who was an Oscar nominee for Hotel Rwanda. This is a good film but it plays more like a made for TV movie and HBO, BET, Hallmark, A&E, AMC or Lifetime should all consider showing this. I would give this an 7.5 out of 10 and recommend it.