In My Country
by John Boorman
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Brendan Gleeson, Juliette Binoche, Menzi Ngubane, Sam Ngakane, Samuel L. JacksonDirector: John Boorman
Brand: JACKSON,SAMUEL L.
Producer: John Boorman
Producer: Chris Auty
Producer: David Wicht
Producer: Duncan Reid
Producer: Jamie Brown
Writer: Ann Peacock
Writer: Antjie Krog
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown); French (Subtitled); Afrikaans (Original Language); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-07-05
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of In My Country
Movie Review: Upsetting and emotionally complex view of Apartheid. Great film!
Summary: 5 Stars
This 2004 film is also called "In The Country of My Skull" and must have had a very short run at the box office because I never heard of it. And yet it stars Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche, both excellent actors. Their roles demand nuanced performances in this story set at The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa after Apartheid ended. In order to keep the country from upheavals and violence, these hearings allowed people to appear before a public tribunal, confess exactly what they did, convince the tribunal that they were just following orders, and then make a public apology. These hearings were heart wrenching for all, but allowed redemption. Most of the people were forgiven or given light jail sentences. But then there were some whose crimes went way beyond the limits that could be pardoned.
The film, based on a memoir by a journalist, is fictionalized for greater impact. Samuel L. Jackson is cast as a Washington Post reporter who is covering the story. Juliette Binoche is an Afrikaner who does a local daily radio broadcast. Both are married. And yet a strong bond forms between these too, leading to a romance. Their roles call for emotional complexity. And both of them succeed magnificently, seeming to enter the very core of their characters as they meet both victims and victimizers and grasp the reality of the horror. I applaud their performances and I applaud the screenplay. I was totally involved and also very sad. The film presented some upsetting truths. And, as when any truth is probed this deeply, there are no easy answers.
I didn't cry real tears. It was not that kind of film. Rather I felt it deep inside and now, several weeks later, I am still thinking about it.
A big bonus on the DVD was the many interviews with the director, the stars and the writer. Each of them talked about how they had to look at themselves and their own lives and come to terms with some harsh truths about their own ethnic backgrounds. I came away thinking of my own life in this context.
This is perhaps the most worthwhile film I've seen this year. It's not pleasant to watch. You won't come away with any answers and you won't be smiling. And you won't understand any more than you do now. But your perception will surely be broadened. And you just might see a light brought to the dark side of human nature through the act of forgiveness.
Definitely recommended. But not for the faint of heart.
Summary of In My Country
A Washington Post journalist is sent to South Africa to cover the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in which perpetrators on both sides of Apartheid are allowed to confront their victims as an act of contrition and gain amnesty.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-JAN-2007
Media Type: DVD
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