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.
26 Reviews
Worth watching
LilMsDivaU31 December 2009
This is a great film that is based on the true story of Sandra Liang in South Africa. Sandra, who has dark skin, was born to two white parents in the heat of the apartheid. She struggles to define herself against the classifications of society. Her dad, who is racist, causes strain on her own self discovery, and strains her relationship with her mother as well. The film chronicles her adventures at an all white school, as well as her marriage to a black man, although she is "white". Her journey is intriguing. The film itself makes you question the race-labeling system.
It is a great film that will raise questions and spark intriguing debates on what it means to be black.
It is a great film that will raise questions and spark intriguing debates on what it means to be black.
Skin Overview
alexxchiodo28 October 2013
This film follows the tragic story about a girl named Sandra Laing attempting to define who she is as a person during the repressive time of apartheid. Born into a white family, yet having a dark skin tone, commonly referred to scientifically as polygenetic inheritance, Sandra is constantly questioning her sense of identity and belonging amongst people that, supposedly, love her. The film powerfully encapsulates this woman's struggle throughout her arduous life, and as a viewer leaves you inspired by her courage and effort to simply live a happy and liberated life. In essence, it's a tragic yet inspiring story that should be heard and acknowledged by all people.
'Never give up.'
gradyharp15 August 2011
Too few of us realize the atrocities of Apartheid, a social and political policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by white minority governments in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. 'The term apartheid (from the Afrikaans word for "apartness") was coined in the 1930s and used as a political slogan of the National Party in the early 1940s, but the policy itself extends back to the beginning of white settlement in South Africa in 1652. After the primarily Afrikaner Nationalists came to power in 1948, the social custom of apartheid was systematized under law. The implementation of the policy, later referred to as "separate development," was made possible by the Population Registration Act of 1950, which put all South Africans into three racial categories: Bantu (black African), white, or Coloured (of mixed race).' Yes, everyone knows the story of Nelson Mandela and the end of Apartheid, but too few of us recognize the appalling effects of that system on the peoples of South Africa. This true story should alter that and perhaps bring a higher degree of respect for those who survived that ugly system. Based on the book 'When She Was White' by Judith Stone, Anthony Fabian wrote the story (with Helen Crawley, Jessie Keyt and Helena Kriel) and directs this terrifying but ultimately triumphant film - a story we shall not soon forget.
Abraham and Lannie Laing (Sam Neill and Alice Krige) are Afrikaans who live and work their general store in the countryside with their two children Sandra (Ella Ramangwane as the young Sandra and Sphie Okenedo as the mature Sandra) and Henry. The Laings have sequestered themselves because their daughter appears black. Abraham constantly defends the 'whiteness' of his daughter at every level of the government and finally the Laings obtain admission to private white school for Sandra and Henry. The school quickly dismisses Sandra because she 'is black', is beaten by teachers, and the school calls in doctors and other government support to back their opinion. But through the tireless efforts of Abraham he finally gets a certification of Sandra's 'whiteness'. Sandra faces intolerance from the community but finds solace in the attention of a 'kaffir', Petrus Zwane (Tony Kgoroge) and in time the frustrated Sandra accepts the warmth of Petrus and they fall in love. Abraham is furious and casts Sandra out of his home: Sandra and Petrus move into a black village and have babies until the whites demand the land on which the blacks are living and destroy Sandra and Petrus's home. Petrus turns to drink and blames his loss of all his goods on marrying a 'white girl': Sandra and her now three children move to Johannesburg to find safety and employment, having been rejected by Sandra's parents. When the Apartheid is banished Sandra becomes a spokesperson for her people and her country because she 'never gave up'.
In this history of the Apartheid the impact is made so very much stronger by the fact that the film shows both sides of the struggle - from the white viewpoint and the black viewpoint. Sandra's father may have fought against the prejudice but when his daughter accepts being black, he is as raw and prejudiced as the rest of the whites. Sandra's mother (played with compassion by Alice Krige) maintains her love and support of her beloved daughter but by societal demands she must bow to her husband's wishes. As Sandra Sophie Okenedo shines in a performance that is brilliantly three dimensional - she is an enormously gifted actress. The entire large cast is excellent, recreating a period in history we can only hope will never happen again. This is a wholly satisfying film.
Grady Harp
Abraham and Lannie Laing (Sam Neill and Alice Krige) are Afrikaans who live and work their general store in the countryside with their two children Sandra (Ella Ramangwane as the young Sandra and Sphie Okenedo as the mature Sandra) and Henry. The Laings have sequestered themselves because their daughter appears black. Abraham constantly defends the 'whiteness' of his daughter at every level of the government and finally the Laings obtain admission to private white school for Sandra and Henry. The school quickly dismisses Sandra because she 'is black', is beaten by teachers, and the school calls in doctors and other government support to back their opinion. But through the tireless efforts of Abraham he finally gets a certification of Sandra's 'whiteness'. Sandra faces intolerance from the community but finds solace in the attention of a 'kaffir', Petrus Zwane (Tony Kgoroge) and in time the frustrated Sandra accepts the warmth of Petrus and they fall in love. Abraham is furious and casts Sandra out of his home: Sandra and Petrus move into a black village and have babies until the whites demand the land on which the blacks are living and destroy Sandra and Petrus's home. Petrus turns to drink and blames his loss of all his goods on marrying a 'white girl': Sandra and her now three children move to Johannesburg to find safety and employment, having been rejected by Sandra's parents. When the Apartheid is banished Sandra becomes a spokesperson for her people and her country because she 'never gave up'.
In this history of the Apartheid the impact is made so very much stronger by the fact that the film shows both sides of the struggle - from the white viewpoint and the black viewpoint. Sandra's father may have fought against the prejudice but when his daughter accepts being black, he is as raw and prejudiced as the rest of the whites. Sandra's mother (played with compassion by Alice Krige) maintains her love and support of her beloved daughter but by societal demands she must bow to her husband's wishes. As Sandra Sophie Okenedo shines in a performance that is brilliantly three dimensional - she is an enormously gifted actress. The entire large cast is excellent, recreating a period in history we can only hope will never happen again. This is a wholly satisfying film.
Grady Harp
intriguing real life
SnoopyStyle31 July 2016
It's 1965 Eastern Transvaal, South Africa. Sandra Laing is the young daughter of white Afrikaner parents Abraham (Sam Neill) and Sannie Laing (Alice Krige). She is kicked out of her all-white school for her African features despite being born as white. She is reclassified as colored and Abraham overturns it in court. At 17 in 1973, she has a relationship with black Petrus which drives a rift in between her family.
It's a compelling intriguing real life story. It takes a look at Apartheid from a different angle. There is a tough question at the center of the movie that is left uncertain. It does leave the movie at a disadvantage dealing with real people. Nothing is quite as clean in real life.
It's a compelling intriguing real life story. It takes a look at Apartheid from a different angle. There is a tough question at the center of the movie that is left uncertain. It does leave the movie at a disadvantage dealing with real people. Nothing is quite as clean in real life.
Just another urban myth?
ray-cann11 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Can two white-looking people produce a darker-skinned baby?
Anthony Fabian's "Skin" tells the fascinating story of Sandra Laing, a black South African woman who was born to white Afrikaner parents during apartheid in South Africa.
Growing up, Sandra appears to have had a happy childhood. She does not appear to think she is different from her parents or older brother, who is also white; she resembles her family a great deal except for her skin color. When she is older, her parents send her and her brother to an exclusive school, for whites only of course. There, Sandra is finally aware that she is different. There are stares, mockery, whispers, and the assumption she does not now where Swaziland is (you'll understand this after you see the film).
Her battles have just begun. She is constantly classified, unclassified, reclassified as white and colored, but Sandra has always felt white. Is she white? To someone in 2013, she would appear multiracial or even racially ambiguous, but, remember folks, this is South Africa in the 1950s.
Fabian casts the brilliant British actress Sophie Okenedo in the role of Sandra. She is superior in this role, not just because of her raw talent, but her mixed Jewish, Scottish, and Nigerian heritage probably allowed her to form a closer bond with Laing and project her struggles. Okenedo is joined by former "Hotel Rwanda" costar Tony Kgoroge, Sam Neill and South African actress Alice Krige, who play her parents respectively.
The Laings and society must deal with the reality of Sandra's skin color because it will not go away no matter what the "papers" say. She does find some happiness with the Black South African community, but it comes at a large price.
What is Sandra? Who is Sandra?
It's time to ask the inevitable questions. Did Sandra's mom have an affair with a nonwhite man? Is there a such thing as the throwback gene? Were there members of her family's who were or are even passing for white? I won't spoil it for you.
Whatever your thoughts are, this is a movie worth seeing. A superior cast that demonstrates what all parties had to do for...survival.
Anthony Fabian's "Skin" tells the fascinating story of Sandra Laing, a black South African woman who was born to white Afrikaner parents during apartheid in South Africa.
Growing up, Sandra appears to have had a happy childhood. She does not appear to think she is different from her parents or older brother, who is also white; she resembles her family a great deal except for her skin color. When she is older, her parents send her and her brother to an exclusive school, for whites only of course. There, Sandra is finally aware that she is different. There are stares, mockery, whispers, and the assumption she does not now where Swaziland is (you'll understand this after you see the film).
Her battles have just begun. She is constantly classified, unclassified, reclassified as white and colored, but Sandra has always felt white. Is she white? To someone in 2013, she would appear multiracial or even racially ambiguous, but, remember folks, this is South Africa in the 1950s.
Fabian casts the brilliant British actress Sophie Okenedo in the role of Sandra. She is superior in this role, not just because of her raw talent, but her mixed Jewish, Scottish, and Nigerian heritage probably allowed her to form a closer bond with Laing and project her struggles. Okenedo is joined by former "Hotel Rwanda" costar Tony Kgoroge, Sam Neill and South African actress Alice Krige, who play her parents respectively.
The Laings and society must deal with the reality of Sandra's skin color because it will not go away no matter what the "papers" say. She does find some happiness with the Black South African community, but it comes at a large price.
What is Sandra? Who is Sandra?
It's time to ask the inevitable questions. Did Sandra's mom have an affair with a nonwhite man? Is there a such thing as the throwback gene? Were there members of her family's who were or are even passing for white? I won't spoil it for you.
Whatever your thoughts are, this is a movie worth seeing. A superior cast that demonstrates what all parties had to do for...survival.
Back In The Bad Old Days
druid333-28 August 2009
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). Rated PG-13 by the MPAA,this film contains some strong language,brief nudity & sexuality,and some truly disturbing images of racist fueled violence.
Interesting insight into a tragic era
ihrtfilms5 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Set during the Apartheid era in South Africa, this film tells the story of Sandra Laing who is born black to white parents and spends much of her life fighting to be recognized. As a young school girl she is placed in a whites only school, yet is frowned upon; her parents don't 'see' her as black, even here birth certificate states she is white. But people see her differently and soon she is thrown from the school. As an older teenager she starts dating, with her parents choosing white men for her to see, but she is attracted to a young black man, whom she eventually falls in love with.
The story is tragic on so many levels. Sandra is treated so differently by everyone, including her family. She is classed as white, but is black and because of laws she is not allowed to marry a black man or go to buy a dress in a white's shop. The levels of racism are so multilayered, it's disturbing. Her father refuses to let her see a black man and threatens to kill him, he wants her to 'be' white. Racism towards one's own child tears the family apart and she settles down with Petrus and has children, but her estrangement from her family and especially her mother haunts her and this becomes a source hatred for Petrus, who thinks she is betraying him by longing to be with her white family. Racism upon racism.
The film is a well acted, beautifully shot one that portrays a singular life of despair among an era of despicable human behaviour. Towards the end it becomes quite moving as change sweeps a new South Africa and Sandra tries to reunite with her estranged family and makes you hope that events such as those never occur again.
More of my reviews at iheartfilms.weebly.com
The story is tragic on so many levels. Sandra is treated so differently by everyone, including her family. She is classed as white, but is black and because of laws she is not allowed to marry a black man or go to buy a dress in a white's shop. The levels of racism are so multilayered, it's disturbing. Her father refuses to let her see a black man and threatens to kill him, he wants her to 'be' white. Racism towards one's own child tears the family apart and she settles down with Petrus and has children, but her estrangement from her family and especially her mother haunts her and this becomes a source hatred for Petrus, who thinks she is betraying him by longing to be with her white family. Racism upon racism.
The film is a well acted, beautifully shot one that portrays a singular life of despair among an era of despicable human behaviour. Towards the end it becomes quite moving as change sweeps a new South Africa and Sandra tries to reunite with her estranged family and makes you hope that events such as those never occur again.
More of my reviews at iheartfilms.weebly.com
A Powerful Story
westsideschl19 July 2019
Background: A dramatization of the life of Sandra Laing who we see speaking in the end credits. This South African story begins in 1966 during the apartheid era with a white store owner and their two children one of whom, Sandra Laing, has features that would be controversially classified as "coloureds" (mixed ethnic/racial & commonly w/white males) along with blacks & whites & Asians (mostly Indian).
Criticism: Whenever white, mostly Dutch, Afrikaners are presented they are almost all portrayed as vile & as nasty as can be. Could this have been so universally true?
Story: At the time people were defined/registered by their skin color. We see Sandra undergoing a magistrate's exam by having her skin examined & a pencil placed into her hair to test for holding power meant to distinguish coloureds & blacks from whites. Later we hear a courtroom geneticist testimony that most Afrikaners (white Dutch) carry "black" genes (guffaws from the white audience on hearing that) thus a recombination could produce darker skin & hair (called polygenic inheritance). Later in our story the registration laws were changed to make descent rather than appearance the determining factor. We follow Sandra into the '80s as she grows up & the alienation from her family. You get a feel for the effects of racism on a person that no written story could convey. How it divides & breaks whatever goodness is in people. We see Sandra at the end with her Rainbow Tuck Shop (a very small shop selling food, etc.). And this from her, "It's what's in the inside of you that matters, not the outside."
Comment: I can think of some politicians, particularly one, raised in a wealthy privileged setting w/servants that while growing up could have benefited from seeing this story.
Criticism: Whenever white, mostly Dutch, Afrikaners are presented they are almost all portrayed as vile & as nasty as can be. Could this have been so universally true?
Story: At the time people were defined/registered by their skin color. We see Sandra undergoing a magistrate's exam by having her skin examined & a pencil placed into her hair to test for holding power meant to distinguish coloureds & blacks from whites. Later we hear a courtroom geneticist testimony that most Afrikaners (white Dutch) carry "black" genes (guffaws from the white audience on hearing that) thus a recombination could produce darker skin & hair (called polygenic inheritance). Later in our story the registration laws were changed to make descent rather than appearance the determining factor. We follow Sandra into the '80s as she grows up & the alienation from her family. You get a feel for the effects of racism on a person that no written story could convey. How it divides & breaks whatever goodness is in people. We see Sandra at the end with her Rainbow Tuck Shop (a very small shop selling food, etc.). And this from her, "It's what's in the inside of you that matters, not the outside."
Comment: I can think of some politicians, particularly one, raised in a wealthy privileged setting w/servants that while growing up could have benefited from seeing this story.
This is an excellent film
cs62929 July 2012
This is a movie that tugs at your heart strings and brings the ugly truth of prejudice to light. Sandra is a strong women who fights through many battles and achieves more than can be expected. She is courageous despite the many obstacles that lie in her way. We all experience identity struggles as we grow up but Sandra's was above the norm and she faced it head on with dignity.
Prejudice is the focus of the movie and how we as a people allow this to determine how and what we feel about one another. Just as in the movie Roots we see the struggle of the African American people, in the movie skin we are brought in on a more personal level as we see the internal struggle of one girl as she grows into a women looking for acceptance and love. The question is where will she find it.
Sophie Okonedo portrays the character of Sandra with touching and emotional quality. Her facial expressions bring you into her heart without a word being said. The soft lighting and grainy texture of the film bring the conflict and emotion out of the screen and into your living room. This is a must see movie.
Prejudice is the focus of the movie and how we as a people allow this to determine how and what we feel about one another. Just as in the movie Roots we see the struggle of the African American people, in the movie skin we are brought in on a more personal level as we see the internal struggle of one girl as she grows into a women looking for acceptance and love. The question is where will she find it.
Sophie Okonedo portrays the character of Sandra with touching and emotional quality. Her facial expressions bring you into her heart without a word being said. The soft lighting and grainy texture of the film bring the conflict and emotion out of the screen and into your living room. This is a must see movie.
SORT OF OK
MadamWarden9 October 2020
Honestly, as an ex South African and anti apartheid activist I expected more from this movie. I think it glossed over the monstrous evil that was apartheid and the every day racism so prevalent in the country in those times.
I also felt the characters didn't ring true.
I also felt the characters didn't ring true.
Not black or white
JohnDeSando18 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
"I'm not black!" Sandra
The color of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo) colors her life beyond what anyone might dream possible. Born black of white parents Sannie (Alice Krige) and Abraham (Sam Neill), who own a rural general store, Sandra is the center of Skin, a drama played against the harrowing years of Apartheid. She is breaking the law if she lives as a black with whites, so her dad devotes years to have her officially declared white.
But even for isolated Afrikaners like the Laings, life is complicated, especially when Sandra falls in love and has a baby with a black farmer, Petrus (Tony Kgoroge). Although the film becomes melodramatic or operatic at times, underneath is a core of truth about a human condition that fosters racial hatred and enslavement even in the modern world. It takes a Mandela to free blacks in Africa, but it is up to the strong of heart like Sandra to make that freedom a reality, day by day.
The film, sometimes playing like J. M. Coetzee Coeteze's violent white versus black world, does a credible job showing the contradictions in characters like her dad, who enforces the separation of black and whites but seems to know he is wrong. Yet, he cannot help himself; this is the strength of the film, the consistent struggle between righteous tradition (read separation) and goodness and fairness. Although we know apartheid will end, and Abraham will be a victim of his own willfulness, the film manages to retain the sense of futility for blacks, artistically not easy to do when history has made its statement.
The goodness often manifests itself in her mother, a loving woman driven by her husband to lose her daughter and watch him suffer remorse too strong to describe. The truth lies in the pain that an oppressed people have endured for hundreds of years on both sides of the Atlantic.
For that truth, Skin is worth experiencing.
The color of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo) colors her life beyond what anyone might dream possible. Born black of white parents Sannie (Alice Krige) and Abraham (Sam Neill), who own a rural general store, Sandra is the center of Skin, a drama played against the harrowing years of Apartheid. She is breaking the law if she lives as a black with whites, so her dad devotes years to have her officially declared white.
But even for isolated Afrikaners like the Laings, life is complicated, especially when Sandra falls in love and has a baby with a black farmer, Petrus (Tony Kgoroge). Although the film becomes melodramatic or operatic at times, underneath is a core of truth about a human condition that fosters racial hatred and enslavement even in the modern world. It takes a Mandela to free blacks in Africa, but it is up to the strong of heart like Sandra to make that freedom a reality, day by day.
The film, sometimes playing like J. M. Coetzee Coeteze's violent white versus black world, does a credible job showing the contradictions in characters like her dad, who enforces the separation of black and whites but seems to know he is wrong. Yet, he cannot help himself; this is the strength of the film, the consistent struggle between righteous tradition (read separation) and goodness and fairness. Although we know apartheid will end, and Abraham will be a victim of his own willfulness, the film manages to retain the sense of futility for blacks, artistically not easy to do when history has made its statement.
The goodness often manifests itself in her mother, a loving woman driven by her husband to lose her daughter and watch him suffer remorse too strong to describe. The truth lies in the pain that an oppressed people have endured for hundreds of years on both sides of the Atlantic.
For that truth, Skin is worth experiencing.
Thought Provocking and well worth a watch
les69695 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is a very well made film portraying the complicated life of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), I won't bore you with the details as other posters have already gone into this. All the acting is first class. Sam Neill as Abraham and Alice Krige as Sannie Laing are both outstanding.
Sophie Okonedo is her usual excellent self and acts a full range of emotions throughout as she portrays Sandra Laing's disturbing story.
The actress playing the young Sandra Laing is also excellent.
The fact that this is true story is very disturbing, especially the character of Abraham Laing. He is clearly racist yet loves his daughter even though she is dark skinned. His obsession with having her classified and treated as white as well as his eagerness to kill black people who get within six feet of his daughter is really disturbing, just what went through the mans mind is a mystery to anyone with a functioning brain. However the film does not just portray the white bigotry of South Africa, it also shows the hypocrisy of Sandra's black lover, he has sex with her even though she is just 15 at the time, refuses to marry her even though she has two of his children, and worse he blames her for any 'bad luck' that they have and physically abuses her so badly that she is forced to leave with her children. Sandra's mother is torn between her bigoted husband and her daughter who she loves, but it is not until late in life that she realises the full extent of her mistake. The father also near his death realises his big mistake but is this just to clear his conscience? His wife refuses to let him track down his daughter saying it is too late and he must suffer now as he has made everyone else suffer. As a footnote to the film, the end credits show the real Sophie and some old film of her as a child with her parents. It is hard to understand why, but both her brothers ( one of whom was also born dark skinned ) refuse to have anything to do with her. All in all this is a great film and well worth viewing. It will leave you thinking that is for sure.
Sophie Okonedo is her usual excellent self and acts a full range of emotions throughout as she portrays Sandra Laing's disturbing story.
The actress playing the young Sandra Laing is also excellent.
The fact that this is true story is very disturbing, especially the character of Abraham Laing. He is clearly racist yet loves his daughter even though she is dark skinned. His obsession with having her classified and treated as white as well as his eagerness to kill black people who get within six feet of his daughter is really disturbing, just what went through the mans mind is a mystery to anyone with a functioning brain. However the film does not just portray the white bigotry of South Africa, it also shows the hypocrisy of Sandra's black lover, he has sex with her even though she is just 15 at the time, refuses to marry her even though she has two of his children, and worse he blames her for any 'bad luck' that they have and physically abuses her so badly that she is forced to leave with her children. Sandra's mother is torn between her bigoted husband and her daughter who she loves, but it is not until late in life that she realises the full extent of her mistake. The father also near his death realises his big mistake but is this just to clear his conscience? His wife refuses to let him track down his daughter saying it is too late and he must suffer now as he has made everyone else suffer. As a footnote to the film, the end credits show the real Sophie and some old film of her as a child with her parents. It is hard to understand why, but both her brothers ( one of whom was also born dark skinned ) refuse to have anything to do with her. All in all this is a great film and well worth viewing. It will leave you thinking that is for sure.
Partuclarly sad because it's true.
planktonrules10 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This is the true and very sad story of a young South African, Sandra Laing. Oddly, despite having two white biological parents, she had black features and skin that made her look biracial--a SERIOUS problem in South Africa during Apartheid! And because of that, she had not only legal problems (the parents had to fight in court to have her declared 'white'--otherwise, she would have been barred from most schools) but social ones as racists wanted nothing to do with this girl. Her childhood must have been incredibly lonely...very, very lonely.
As Sandra grew, her problems fitting in didn't disappear--and in some ways they got a lot worse. Her own father slowly turned against her--resenting her for her skin color and the embarrassment her let it cause him. Eventually, Sandra met a black man and fell in love--and her racist father couldn't stand her being with 'one of them'! Mom's reaction wasn't much better. Eventually Sandra ran off to Swaziland with him--hoping to escape her insane life. Unfortunately, she was captured and imprisoned for crossing the border illegally. And, in the process, she was disowned by her loving family. Eventually, her new boyfriend also leaves her, as he, too, has trouble coping with her race--she is too 'white' for him! In the end, she is feeling lost and after two decades of estrangement, Sandra goes looking for her family.
All in all, this is a heartbreaking movie--particularly so because it's all based on real life people. The acting, direction and entire production is very good and it's a film that no doubt will effect you. You just can't help seeing this sad tale and not feeling terrible for poor Sandra.
By the way, you do wonder why the Laing family didn't just leave South Africa. They didn't--so it's only an academic question. But their decision to remain in such a hostile environment s quite curious--as were her parents' continuing to support the Apartheid system! Crazy.
Also, I looked for a picture of the real Sandra Laing and noticed that her father did NOT look the least bit like Sam Neill! Bald and dull looking--not at all a hunk-meister like Neill!!
As Sandra grew, her problems fitting in didn't disappear--and in some ways they got a lot worse. Her own father slowly turned against her--resenting her for her skin color and the embarrassment her let it cause him. Eventually, Sandra met a black man and fell in love--and her racist father couldn't stand her being with 'one of them'! Mom's reaction wasn't much better. Eventually Sandra ran off to Swaziland with him--hoping to escape her insane life. Unfortunately, she was captured and imprisoned for crossing the border illegally. And, in the process, she was disowned by her loving family. Eventually, her new boyfriend also leaves her, as he, too, has trouble coping with her race--she is too 'white' for him! In the end, she is feeling lost and after two decades of estrangement, Sandra goes looking for her family.
All in all, this is a heartbreaking movie--particularly so because it's all based on real life people. The acting, direction and entire production is very good and it's a film that no doubt will effect you. You just can't help seeing this sad tale and not feeling terrible for poor Sandra.
By the way, you do wonder why the Laing family didn't just leave South Africa. They didn't--so it's only an academic question. But their decision to remain in such a hostile environment s quite curious--as were her parents' continuing to support the Apartheid system! Crazy.
Also, I looked for a picture of the real Sandra Laing and noticed that her father did NOT look the least bit like Sam Neill! Bald and dull looking--not at all a hunk-meister like Neill!!
A Difficult Tale, Very Well Told
gelman@attglobal.net7 April 2012
This story about a dark-skinned girl born to white Afrikaners during the apartheid era will come as a revelation to anyone who has forgotten what South Africa was like before the transformation brought about by Nelson Mandela and his colleagues. Not that South Africa is out of the jungle of racial conflict; it certainly isn't. But one hopes that the fate inflicted on Sandra Liang because of her color could happen today.
The story is gripping. The direction and the photography are efficient. The two best known actors in this film, Sophie Okenado ( Rawanda) and Sam Neill, are excellent as the adult Sandra and her Afrikaner father. But other unfamiliar players are also very good
The story is gripping. The direction and the photography are efficient. The two best known actors in this film, Sophie Okenado ( Rawanda) and Sam Neill, are excellent as the adult Sandra and her Afrikaner father. But other unfamiliar players are also very good
Important and well-made tale
martinpersson9730 November 2022
This movie, showcasing a great director and talented task, surely lives up to its expectations.
The topic it handles is somewhat controversial and very important to portray in a satisfying way, but they manage to do it splendidly.
The acting is overall great, the characters, the lead actress in particular, is splendidly written. Very much props to the director and the casting overall.
The cinematography is very fluid overall and it's a very beautiful and well edited film.
Several movies have been made around this topic, but this has to stand out as one of the best for sure. It should definitely be watched by any lover of film or if you have an interest in the topical conflict.
The topic it handles is somewhat controversial and very important to portray in a satisfying way, but they manage to do it splendidly.
The acting is overall great, the characters, the lead actress in particular, is splendidly written. Very much props to the director and the casting overall.
The cinematography is very fluid overall and it's a very beautiful and well edited film.
Several movies have been made around this topic, but this has to stand out as one of the best for sure. It should definitely be watched by any lover of film or if you have an interest in the topical conflict.
Great movie!
BudoSenpai9 July 2021
The movie as a whole was a very emotional movie yet I really enjoyed it.
curtis211 May 2011
Sandra Laing was born to a white mother and father yet she had the skin color of a black person. Although Sandra's mother bore a baby boy that came out to be dark like Sandra, the movie stayed focused on Sandra and the parents.
The movie showed that great perseverance can make just as much difference as the obstacles. The plot focused on the obstacle of being colored in a white world or family for that matter as this white family tried to raise their daughter that looked black in South Africa. Black people were being treated as beneath whites but Sandra was taught by her father to "never give up".
Sandra's parent had her classified as white with the Government but all of the hardships Sandra and the family face forces Sandra to question her Identity where Sandra eventually finds comfort with a black man names Pedrus.
Sandra showed great strength throughout the movie as the movie had highs and lows from fun or intense moments to feeling the sad emotions. It was presented in such a way that the audience could feel what was going on in many scenes. The acting was great with the facial expressions as all of the actors in the movie assumed their character.
The movie showed that great perseverance can make just as much difference as the obstacles. The plot focused on the obstacle of being colored in a white world or family for that matter as this white family tried to raise their daughter that looked black in South Africa. Black people were being treated as beneath whites but Sandra was taught by her father to "never give up".
Sandra's parent had her classified as white with the Government but all of the hardships Sandra and the family face forces Sandra to question her Identity where Sandra eventually finds comfort with a black man names Pedrus.
Sandra showed great strength throughout the movie as the movie had highs and lows from fun or intense moments to feeling the sad emotions. It was presented in such a way that the audience could feel what was going on in many scenes. The acting was great with the facial expressions as all of the actors in the movie assumed their character.
Polygenic Inheritance
IcyTones30 September 2020
In a nutshell, Polygenic Inheritance is when in nature and in the natural occurrences of things, the genes mutate and adapt themselves to form the dominant ancestral trait.
Somewhere along the bloodlines of Sandra Laing's parents, is 'Black' blood - (well we all know that a lot of the white slave masters raped a lot of the young Black female slaves).
Sandra Laing's story is that she was light skinned Black female born to white South African parents during apartheid. Her parents saw her & brought her up as white and even got the South African government to reclassify Sandra as white, but the rest of South Africa saw Sandra as Black.
The results is a confused young woman who tries to make her life easier and find that 'sense of belonging' within Black South Africa. Against the wishes of her parents, Sandra chooses to identify herself with Black South Africa during Apartheid. Sandra suffered at the hands of the authorities, the communities and her family & this her story.
It's a tear jerker, so don't watch it on your commute to work like I did or people'll be staring at you.
The movie doesn't make much of an ordeal about the 'reclassification case' and is absent from DNA testing, but I'm not convinced that the mother didn't stray - with all those 'handsome' young black male studs as servants around whose to say different in apartheid times when peoples lives & jobs are at stake? If slave masters got away with raping black slave girls who is going to oppose a white women in charge during apartheid - which is just a fancy word that has similar connotations as the black slave trade did.
Sandra is also a middle child. Sandra also had siblings - 2 brothers. The eldest was white, but the youngest also had Polygenic Inheritance, but it appears that he 'accepted' his 'whiteness'.
One things for sure, when it comes to the natural order of 'genetics', it's a mystery as to how some things are a bit 'hit & miss'. It is also generally accepted that some thing may miss a generation or two.
The results is a confused young woman who tries to make her life easier and find that 'sense of belonging' within Black South Africa. Against the wishes of her parents, Sandra chooses to identify herself with Black South Africa during Apartheid. Sandra suffered at the hands of the authorities, the communities and her family & this her story.
It's a tear jerker, so don't watch it on your commute to work like I did or people'll be staring at you.
The movie doesn't make much of an ordeal about the 'reclassification case' and is absent from DNA testing, but I'm not convinced that the mother didn't stray - with all those 'handsome' young black male studs as servants around whose to say different in apartheid times when peoples lives & jobs are at stake? If slave masters got away with raping black slave girls who is going to oppose a white women in charge during apartheid - which is just a fancy word that has similar connotations as the black slave trade did.
Sandra is also a middle child. Sandra also had siblings - 2 brothers. The eldest was white, but the youngest also had Polygenic Inheritance, but it appears that he 'accepted' his 'whiteness'.
One things for sure, when it comes to the natural order of 'genetics', it's a mystery as to how some things are a bit 'hit & miss'. It is also generally accepted that some thing may miss a generation or two.
Sitting on the fence between white and black in South Africa.
TxMike19 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is based on a real person and her true story. However the end credits points out that some characters and some situations were created for dramatic effect, that's the way movies are made. But I will assume most of it is accurate.
Sophie Okonedo is the adult Sandra Laing who, in 1955, was born during the period of apartheid in South Africa. The official teaching of the white South Africans, the Afrikans, was that white and black people were "different" and they should be kept apart. Apartheid.
This is important for this story because Sandra's parents were both white Afrikans, but Sandra was brown with black, kinky hair. Her skin was not as dark as the usual black but clearly in looks more black than white.
Although her parents and brother treated her and loved her all the same, this created many problems for Sandra growing up, starting with boarding school where the other students and even the faculty looked at her as black, and treated her that way. When she was a teen, desperate for acceptance and love, she met and ran off with a black man, which was strictly illegal since her parents had her officially classified by the government as "white". Plus her unyielding father rejected her, he so strongly upheld the ideals of apartheid.
South African actress Alice Krige is the mother, Sannie Laing. The Irish and New Zealander Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame is the dad, Abraham Laing.
Very good movie, both for the quality of the story, and also for its significance for that period in history. All actors are superb.
Saw it on Netflix streaming.
Sophie Okonedo is the adult Sandra Laing who, in 1955, was born during the period of apartheid in South Africa. The official teaching of the white South Africans, the Afrikans, was that white and black people were "different" and they should be kept apart. Apartheid.
This is important for this story because Sandra's parents were both white Afrikans, but Sandra was brown with black, kinky hair. Her skin was not as dark as the usual black but clearly in looks more black than white.
Although her parents and brother treated her and loved her all the same, this created many problems for Sandra growing up, starting with boarding school where the other students and even the faculty looked at her as black, and treated her that way. When she was a teen, desperate for acceptance and love, she met and ran off with a black man, which was strictly illegal since her parents had her officially classified by the government as "white". Plus her unyielding father rejected her, he so strongly upheld the ideals of apartheid.
South African actress Alice Krige is the mother, Sannie Laing. The Irish and New Zealander Sam Neill of Jurassic Park fame is the dad, Abraham Laing.
Very good movie, both for the quality of the story, and also for its significance for that period in history. All actors are superb.
Saw it on Netflix streaming.
The Colour of your Skin
RamonThomas20 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Sandra Laing should be more widely known in South Africa. I doubt we value the lessons learned from the our own past as we do from school. Imagine a world where you are classified according to what the government laws dictate. That was the reality of Apartheid South Africa.
Even in 2013 we see glimpses of this Apartheid mentality because mixed race people in this country seems to have a Pavlovian disposition to feeling inferior and acting that way. The violence among "coloured people" is disproportional higher when looked at prison populations. So this movie is actually an important link between the past, the present and the future of mixed race people in South Africa.
What is striking about Sandra Laing is how her parents are both supremely dedicated and yet divided in how they treat their daughter. Everything manages to proceed as planned while she's in school, and even after she's asked to leave the school. Even her older brother stands by her even though he admits it's difficult.
How do we break free from our parents, from our roots and discover new ones? There is a Freudian element to Sandra's relationship with her father. He fights for her, he is strong-willed and takes on the government in one scene. Yet, he has doubts about whether she is indeed his biological child. At least this makes him human in sense. The family is surrounded by black people, some as labourers and some as clients in their shop in a rural part of the country.
As she matures into a young lady, her father arranges dates for her with young white men. After a terrible incident where she avoids being rapped, she eventually strikes up a sexual relationship with a black man with whom she has two children. His anger sparked by group areas act, and how it was enforced in by the Apartheid government eventually leads to him physically abusing Sandra. She leaves with her children and makes her way to Johannesburg, the big city.
The movie ends where it began with the 1994 elections. The dream that was dreamed by her parents is still alive in her, especially her father's motto of "never give up." She tells her mother on her death bed, that was all that kept her going during the 20 years of separation.
This is a story that speaks about all those things that makes us human: family, identity, uncertainty, choice and love. Without falling in love with a black man, Sandra would never have discovered herself. Her white father wanted her to be safe, to be protected and the never allowed her to be free, to find her own way.
Even in 2013 we see glimpses of this Apartheid mentality because mixed race people in this country seems to have a Pavlovian disposition to feeling inferior and acting that way. The violence among "coloured people" is disproportional higher when looked at prison populations. So this movie is actually an important link between the past, the present and the future of mixed race people in South Africa.
What is striking about Sandra Laing is how her parents are both supremely dedicated and yet divided in how they treat their daughter. Everything manages to proceed as planned while she's in school, and even after she's asked to leave the school. Even her older brother stands by her even though he admits it's difficult.
How do we break free from our parents, from our roots and discover new ones? There is a Freudian element to Sandra's relationship with her father. He fights for her, he is strong-willed and takes on the government in one scene. Yet, he has doubts about whether she is indeed his biological child. At least this makes him human in sense. The family is surrounded by black people, some as labourers and some as clients in their shop in a rural part of the country.
As she matures into a young lady, her father arranges dates for her with young white men. After a terrible incident where she avoids being rapped, she eventually strikes up a sexual relationship with a black man with whom she has two children. His anger sparked by group areas act, and how it was enforced in by the Apartheid government eventually leads to him physically abusing Sandra. She leaves with her children and makes her way to Johannesburg, the big city.
The movie ends where it began with the 1994 elections. The dream that was dreamed by her parents is still alive in her, especially her father's motto of "never give up." She tells her mother on her death bed, that was all that kept her going during the 20 years of separation.
This is a story that speaks about all those things that makes us human: family, identity, uncertainty, choice and love. Without falling in love with a black man, Sandra would never have discovered herself. Her white father wanted her to be safe, to be protected and the never allowed her to be free, to find her own way.
Internal struggle can hurt or make you stronger!
kevinkishin13 February 2011
I just saw this movie the acting was superb and genuine,Sophie Okonedo should have been nominated for another Oscar for her performance,the hurt resonating from this movie was a shocker especially when your family turns against you because of a inhumane system of law,Sam Neill played his part well too well his character was mean and bigoted and hypocritical,the real Sandra Laing gets much respect from me to persevere the way she did during her hardship!!Sandra is a Black Woman who born into a white family that was not her fault but the SOUTH AFRIKAANER gov. ridiculed her and her family causing a rift that won't heal anytime soon for her.
Thought provoking movie
nicholls_les19 December 2019
I had never heard this true story before and wont go into what others on here have said about the story, but this is a well made movie.
Sophie Okonedo acts well although she does not look much like the real Sandra Laing and in fact was too old to play her in her teens. Then again neither does Sam Neil look like the real Dad. However the acting is all very convincing especially the young actress playing Sandra in her early years.
But none of this matters as much as this story needing to be told. The story shows how idiotic prejudices are based on color in particular.
The brutal, hateful legacy of apartheid keeps on giving!
naimawan28 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I finally saw "Skin" last night. I won't recap the story here. I was fascinated by Sandra Liang's heartbreaking experience, but I missed the movie in the theatre. The actors – Neill, Krige, Okonedo and Kgoroge – performed their roles well. The film, overall, is not perfect. I agree that Sophie Okonedo was not completely believable as the teenage Sandra Laing, but that's a small quibble given Okonedo's gargantuan talent.
What really saddens me is that so many people are more concerned with debunking the notion that two white-looking people can (biologically) produce a black-looking child than with South Africa's brutal, hateful apartheid regime that tore this family apart, and turned a beautiful young girl's life into a living hell. All of my white friends summarily dismissed Sandra Laing's story and rejected the possibility that it could be true. For them, it's easier to question Sannie Laing's marital fidelity than to keep an open mind about polygenic inheritance (genetic throwback). They should know by now that we don't know everything about genetic curve balls.
The scenes that disturbed me the most were 1) Sandra enduring humiliating tests (measuring of her forehead and pencil stuck in her hair), 3) Sandra bleaching and seriously burning her skin with a dangerous homemade concoction of chemicals, and 3) Sandra's realization of her parents' deep denial of their own racism. It was painful to watch her attempt to survive relentless rejection. I'm convinced she loved Petrus in some way, but I believe she may have chosen to go with him at 15 years old to escape daily psychological and emotional torment.
Unfortunately, the "one-drop rule" and the notion of white racial purity (tying to white superiority) remain rampant today, and even in the good old US of A. We will likely solve world hunger and cure every disease imaginable before we eradicate that one!
Oh, and Tony Kgoroge is gorgeous. He has beautiful skin and a smile that could melt well, anything! I loved watching him in "Invictus".
What really saddens me is that so many people are more concerned with debunking the notion that two white-looking people can (biologically) produce a black-looking child than with South Africa's brutal, hateful apartheid regime that tore this family apart, and turned a beautiful young girl's life into a living hell. All of my white friends summarily dismissed Sandra Laing's story and rejected the possibility that it could be true. For them, it's easier to question Sannie Laing's marital fidelity than to keep an open mind about polygenic inheritance (genetic throwback). They should know by now that we don't know everything about genetic curve balls.
The scenes that disturbed me the most were 1) Sandra enduring humiliating tests (measuring of her forehead and pencil stuck in her hair), 3) Sandra bleaching and seriously burning her skin with a dangerous homemade concoction of chemicals, and 3) Sandra's realization of her parents' deep denial of their own racism. It was painful to watch her attempt to survive relentless rejection. I'm convinced she loved Petrus in some way, but I believe she may have chosen to go with him at 15 years old to escape daily psychological and emotional torment.
Unfortunately, the "one-drop rule" and the notion of white racial purity (tying to white superiority) remain rampant today, and even in the good old US of A. We will likely solve world hunger and cure every disease imaginable before we eradicate that one!
Oh, and Tony Kgoroge is gorgeous. He has beautiful skin and a smile that could melt well, anything! I loved watching him in "Invictus".
Tearfully moving true story
Padreviews27 March 2022
Superb acting throughout, a story of triumph over adversity - watched this on Mother's Day - the love bond between mother and daughter was so strong it bridged every division that was thrown at them in a country that felt it had the right and power to determine the colour and ethnicity of a parents naturally born children to their misguided and barbaric inhumane treatment of the indigenous population .
This is a powerful emotional drama that will have you crying as you see ye family unit torn apart by the hatred all around and the affect it has on the mental and physical health of all who are swept up in the hurricane of the political maelstrom.
Violence is all around when love is the key
In a world where you can be anything - be kind
Pad. A 10/10.
This is a powerful emotional drama that will have you crying as you see ye family unit torn apart by the hatred all around and the affect it has on the mental and physical health of all who are swept up in the hurricane of the political maelstrom.
Violence is all around when love is the key
In a world where you can be anything - be kind
Pad. A 10/10.
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