''In My Country'' is a 2004 drama film directed by

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...

, and starring

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

and

Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...

. The film is centred around the story of

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...

poet Anna Malan (Binoche) and an American journalist, Langston Whitfield (Jackson), sent to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

to report about the South African

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...

hearings. The screenplay, written by Ann Peacock, was based on

Antjie Krog Antjie Krog (born 23 October 1952) is a South African writer and academic, best known for her Afrikaans poetry, her reporting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and her 1998 book '' Country of My Skull''. In 2004, she joined the Arts f ...

's memoir ''

Country of My Skull ''Country of My Skull'' is a 1998 nonfiction book by Antjie Krog about the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa), Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). It is based on Krog's experience as a radio reporter, covering ...

''. A special screening of the film was held for

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

in December 2003 in the presence of John Boorman, Juliette Binoche and Robert Chartoff.

Plot

The film takes place during the

(TRC) hearings between 1995 and 1996. The

poet Anna Malan (

) is a South African broadcaster covering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. While her husband remains supportive, her work causes friction with her parents and younger brother Boetie ( Langley Kirkwood), who are struggling to come to terms with Black majority rule. Due to increasing crime and

cattle rustling Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle. In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the perpetrator as a duffer.Baker, Sidney John (1945) ''The Australian language : an examination of the English language and English ...

, Malan's family are uncertain about their place in post–

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South Africa. While attending a press conference in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, Anna meets up with her black colleague, the sound engineer Dumi Mkhalipi (

Menzi Ngubane Menzi Ngubane (28 August 1964 – 13 March 2021) was a South African actor, best known for playing the role of Sibusiso Dlomo in the soap opera '' Generations'' from 2003 to 2014. Ngubane played numerous roles on other South African TV shows, i ...

). She also encounters the

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

journalist Langston Whitfield (

), who has been sent by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' to interview the former

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

De Jager (

Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor and film director. He is the recipient of three IFTA Awards, two British Independent Film Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award and has been nominated twice for a BAFTA Award and four times for ...

), who has been accused of human rights violations. While initially hostile towards

White South African White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the Afrikaans-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original settlers, ...

s particularly Afrikaners, Whitfield forges a working relationship with Anna and Dumi. Anna, Dumi, and Langston travel the country covering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's hearings. The hearings are predicated around the concepts of restorative justice and

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: ''Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All the ...

; the belief that a universal bond connects all humanity. The TRC involve victims testifying about their experiences and perpetrators confessing to their crimes in return for an offer of amnesty. While most of the perpetrators are white and victims are black, one hearing involves a group of black guerrillas who killed members of a white farming family. Due to the African American experience with racism in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and the unrepentant behavior of several perpetrators, Whitfield is initially dismissive of Ubuntu. During the course of their work, Whitfield befriends Dumi and Anna. When their car breaks down in the gramadeolas, Anna and her colleagues are forced to spend the night together at the home of an Afrikaner farmer. Despite their philosophical differences, Anna and Whitfield come to develop romantic feelings for each other. Besides covering the TRC hearings, Whitfield also interviews De Jager, an unrepentant racist who claims that he was following orders but believes that he has been made a scapegoat by the South African government. Frustrated with the ''Washington Post'' reluctance to highlight the TRC hearings, Whitfield writes a sensationalist article laden with incendiary rhetoric. While the article is published in the front page of the ''Washington Post'', Anna is furious and argues with Whitfield. The two later reconcile after Anna convinces him that not all whites are guilty of the crimes of the Apartheid regime. Anna later introduces Whitfield to her parents, who help him to reevaluate his views of South African society. While interviewing De Jager, Whitfield convinces him to incriminate his superiors, which he does in return for a possible amnesty offer from the TRC, and to get revenge for their scapegoating of him. Using De Jager's information, Langston and Anna discover a farm near Anna's family homestead which was used by the South African military to torture and kill

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

guerrillas. The two also discover the corpse of a former guerrilla. As a result of this discovery, De Jager is able to incriminate his superiors. However, his application for amnesty is rejected on the grounds that his actions were "disproportionate to the objective sought." Before being led away, De Jager tells Anna to ask her brother about the atrocities. When Anna confronts Boetie about his complicity in the tortures, Boetie commits suicide. Following the funeral, Anna's mother confesses to an extramarital affair with a Chilean poet. This leads Anna to confess to her romantic affair with Langston to her husband. While initially angry, Anna's husband finds the power to forgive his wife. Anna and Langston depart on friendly terms. While Langston is driving with Dumi to visit his family, Dumi is killed by a gang of men in revenge for his prior actions as an informer who betrayed people who the police arrested and murdered, despite Dumi's claims that he only did so because the police threatened his family. This murder leads Langston to reflect on the importance of forgiveness. Meanwhile, Anna reflects on the sins of her people and pleads for the land to forgive them. The postscript mentions that 21,800 victims testified to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and that 1,165 perpetrators received amnesty under the peace process.

Cast

as Anna Malan *

as Langston Whitfield *

as De Jager *

as Dumi Mkhalipi * Aletta Bezuidenhout as Elsa *

Lionel Newton __TOC__ Lionel may refer to: Name *Lionel (given name) Places *Lionel, Lewis, a village in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland *Lionel Town, Jamaica, a settlement Brands and enterprises *Lionel, LLC, an American designer and importer of toy trains and mo ...

as Edward Morgan * Langley Kirkwood as Boetie * Owen Sejake as Reverend Mzondo *

Charley Boorman Charley Boorman (born 23 August 1966) is a British TV presenter, travel writer and actor. A motorbike enthusiast, Boorman has made three long-distance motorcycle rides with his friend Ewan McGregor, documented in ''Long Way Round'' (2004), ''Lo ...

as Adam Hartley

Production

Filming took place in and around

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 * Tuinhuis *

Table Mountain Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...

*The Countryside and surrounds of

Paarl Paarl (; Afrikaans: ; derived from ''Parel'', meaning "pearl" in Dutch) is a town with 112,045 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is the third-oldest city and European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after ...

and

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the up ...

. * Mount Nelson Hotel *Locations in

Stellenbosch Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

Reception

Nelson 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.

While the film was thought to have its "heart and politics in the right place", the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''described it as a "formula romance", in which Binoche fails at the Afrikaans accent and Jackson's character lacks credibility as a ''Post'' reporter. The film also received much criticism for the inclusion of a love affair, and its depiction of black South Africans.

Awards

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

2004 * Winner of Diamond Cinema for Peace Award 2004.

References

External links

* * * * {{Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa) Apartheid films 2004 drama films 2004 films Films directed by John Boorman 2000s English-language films English-language South African films Films set in South Africa Sony Pictures Classics films Films produced by Robert Chartoff Phoenix Pictures films Films shot in South Africa Films set in 1995 Films set in 1996 Films set in the 1990s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa) South African drama films