> Skin
3 stars (out of 5)
Director: Anthony Fabian
Cast: Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill, Alice Krige, Tony Kgoroge, Ella Ramangwane.
Rating: M
Based on the true story of a black girl born to Afrikaner parents in 1950s South Africa, Skin is a fascinating examination of ethnicity and apartheid.
When 10-year-old Sandra Laing (Ella Ramangwane) is enrolled at an all-white boarding school, it's pretty obvious that something is not quite right.
Sandra fulfils every trait associated with the ethnic classification "coloured" except that her parents are white.
Father Abraham (Sam Neill) and mother Sannie (Alice Krige) obviously harbour their own doubts about Sandra's genetic make-up, but attempt to integrate her into white society all the same.
Abraham eventually succeeds in having her classified as white.
Rather than reconsider his own racist ideology, Abraham belligerently promotes apartheid, which creates all manner of tension when Sandra transforms into her older self (Sophie Okonedo).
Clinging to the theory that Sandra's African features are a genetic throw-back, Abraham gets progressively nastier as he is haunted by his own doubts.
Sam Neill might not have all the accent nuances down, but he certainly nails his bigoted patriarch role.
Similarly, Alice Krige is great as the mother who never gives up on her daughter. The real star though is Okonedo, who eloquently conveys a sense of cultural disorientation and the painful effects of segregation.
Best thing: Sophie Okonedo's performance. She really captures the painful bind that Sandra constantly battled with.
Worst thing: The schmaltzy romance scenes, they just don't gel with the overall tone.
See it with: Hone Harawira.
