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{{short description|2004 film by John Boorman}}
{{short description|2004 film by John Boorman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox film|name = In My Country
{{Use South African English|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox film
|name = In My Country
|image = InMyCountry.jpg
|image = InMyCountry.jpg
|caption =
|caption = Film poster
|director = [[John Boorman]]
|director = [[John Boorman]]
|producer = John Boorman<br>[[Kieran Corrigan]]<BR>[[Robert Chartoff]]<br>[[Lynn Hendee]]<br> [[Mike Medavoy]]
|producer = John Boorman<br>[[Kieran Corrigan]]<BR>[[Robert Chartoff]]<br>[[Lynn Hendee]]<br> [[Mike Medavoy]]
|writer = [[Antjie Krog]] <br>[[Ann Peacock]]
|writer = [[Antjie Krog]] <br>[[Ann Peacock]]
| based_on = '''[[Country of My Skull]]''' by [[Antjie Krog]]
|based_on = ''[[Country of My Skull]]'' by [[Antjie Krog]]
|starring = [[Samuel L. Jackson]]<br>[[Juliette Binoche]]<br>[[Brendan Gleeson]]
|starring = [[Samuel L. Jackson]]<br>[[Juliette Binoche]]<br>[[Brendan Gleeson]]
|music = [[Murray C. Anderson]] & [[Warrick Sony]]
|music = [[Murray C. Anderson]] & [[Warrick Sony]]
|cinematography =
|cinematography = [[Seamus Deasy]]
|editing =
|editing = [[Ron Davis (editor)|Ron Davis]]
|distributor = [[Sony Pictures Classics]]
|distributor = [[Sony Pictures Classics]]
|released = {{Start date|2004|3|11}}
|released = {{Film date|2004|3|11|df=yes}}
|runtime = 103 min.
|runtime = 103 minutes
|language = English
|language = English
|budget = $12 million US {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}
|budget = $12 million US {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}
|gross = $1,491,434<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3982198273/weekend/|title=In My Country|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=August 17, 2021}}</ref>
|gross = $1,491,434<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3982198273/weekend/|title=In My Country|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=4 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204033918/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3982198273/weekend/|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''In My Country''''' is a 2004 drama film directed by [[John Boorman]], starring [[Samuel L. Jackson]] and [[Juliette Binoche]]. The film is centred around the story of [[Afrikaner]] poet Anna Malan (Binoche) and an American journalist, Langston Whitfield (Jackson), sent to [[South Africa]] to report about the South African [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] hearings.
'''''In My Country''''' is a 2004 drama film directed by [[John Boorman]], and starring [[Samuel L. Jackson]] and [[Juliette Binoche]]. It is centred around the story of [[Afrikaner]] poet Anna Malan (Binoche) and an American journalist, Langston Whitfield (Jackson), sent to [[South Africa]] to report about the South African [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] hearings.


The screenplay, written by Ann Peacock, was based on [[Antjie Krog]]'s memoir ''[[Country of My Skull]]''. A special screening of the film was held for [[Nelson Mandela]] in December 2003 in the presence of John Boorman, Juliette Binoche and Robert Chartoff.
The screenplay, written by [[Ann Peacock]], was based on [[Antjie Krog]]'s memoir ''[[Country of My Skull]]''. A special screening of the film was held for [[Nelson Mandela]] in December 2003 in the presence of John Boorman, Juliette Binoche and Robert Chartoff.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
The film takes place during the [[South Africa]]n [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] (TRC) hearings between 1995 and 1996. The [[Afrikaners|Afrikaner]] poet Anna Malan ([[Juliette Binoche]]) is a South African [[Television presenter|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 raiding|cattle rustling]], Malan's family are uncertain about their place in post&ndash;[[Apartheid]] South Africa.
The film takes place during the [[South Africa]]n [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] (TRC) hearings between 1995 and 1996. The [[Afrikaners|Afrikaner]] poet Anna Malan is a South African [[Television presenter|broadcaster]] covering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings. While her husband remains supportive, her work causes friction with her parents and younger brother Boetie, who are struggling to come to terms with Black majority rule. Due to increasing crime and [[cattle raiding|cattle rustling]], Malan's family are uncertain about their place in post&ndash;[[Apartheid]] South Africa.


While attending a press conference in [[Cape Town]], Anna meets up with her black colleague, the sound engineer Dumi Mkhalipi ([[Menzi Ngubane]]). She also encounters the [[African Americans|African American]] journalist Langston Whitfield ([[Samuel L. Jackson]]), who has been sent by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' to interview the former [[South African Army]] [[Colonel]] De Jager ([[Brendan Gleeson]]), who has been accused of human rights violations. While initially hostile towards [[White South African]]s particularly Afrikaners, Whitfield forges a working relationship with Anna and Dumi.
While attending a press conference in [[Cape Town]], Anna meets up with her black colleague, the sound engineer Dumi Mkhalipi. She also encounters the [[African Americans|African American]] journalist Langston Whitfield, who has been sent by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' to interview the former [[South African Army]] [[Colonel]] De Jager, who has been accused of human rights violations. While initially hostile towards [[White South African]]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 (philosophy)|Ubuntu]]; 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 of America|United States]] and the unrepentant behavior of several perpetrators, Whitfield is initially dismissive of Ubuntu.
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 (philosophy)|Ubuntu]]; 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 of America|United States]] and the unrepentant behavior of several perpetrators, Whitfield is initially dismissive of Ubuntu.
Line 35: Line 38:
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]] 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.
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]] 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 [[Chileans|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, Anne reflects on the sins of her people and pleads for the land to forgive them.
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 [[Chileans|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 218,000 victims testified to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and that 1,165 perpetrators received amnesty under the peace process.
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==
==Cast==
{{div col}}
*[[Juliette Binoche]] as Anna Malan
*[[Juliette Binoche]] as Anna Malan
*[[Samuel L. Jackson]] as Langston Whitfield
*[[Samuel L. Jackson]] as Langston Whitfield
Line 49: Line 53:
*[[Owen Sejake]] as Reverend Mzondo
*[[Owen Sejake]] as Reverend Mzondo
*[[Charley Boorman]] as Adam Hartley
*[[Charley Boorman]] as Adam Hartley
*[[Connie Chiume]] as Virginia Tabata
{{div col end}}


== Production ==
== Production ==
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Nelson Mandela liked the film, and provided producers with a quote for promotion of the film:
Nelson Mandela liked the film, and provided producers with a quote for promotion of the film:


<blockquote>A beautiful and important film about [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|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.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gibson |first=James L. |date=2002 |title=Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation: Judging the Fairness of Amnesty in South Africa |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3088398 |journal=American Journal of Political Science |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=540–556 |doi=10.2307/3088398 |issn=0092-5853}}</ref></blockquote>
<blockquote>A beautiful and important film about [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|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.{{Citation needed|date = February 2016}}</blockquote>


While the film was thought to have its "heart and politics in the right place", the ''[[Washington Post]] ''described it as a "formula romance", in which Binoche fails at the Afrikaans accent and Jackson's character lacks credibility as a ''Post'' reporter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15797-2005Mar31.html|title='In My Country': Unjustifiable|last=Thomson|first=Desson|website=[[Washington Post]]|date=April 1, 2005|access-date=August 17, 2021}}</ref> The film also received much criticism for the inclusion of a love affair, and its depiction of black South Africans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_my_country|title=Country of My Skull|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=August 17, 2021}}</ref>
While the film was thought to have its "heart and politics in the right place", the ''[[Washington Post]] ''described it as a "formula romance", in which Binoche fails at the Afrikaans accent and Jackson's character lacks credibility as a ''Post'' reporter.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15797-2005Mar31.html|title='In My Country': Unjustifiable|last=Thomson|first=Desson|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|date=1 April 2005|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=25 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925234138/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15797-2005Mar31.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The film received much criticism for the inclusion of a love affair, and its depiction of black South Africans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_my_country|title=Country of My Skull|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=17 August 2021}}</ref>


==Awards==
==Awards==
'''[[Berlin Film Festival]] 2004'''
'''[[Berlin Film Festival]] 2004'''
* Winner of Diamond Cinema for Peace Award 2004.
* Winner of Diamond Cinema for Peace Award 2004.{{fact|date=November 2022}}


==References==
==References==
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== External links ==
== External links ==
*{{Amg movie |299150}}
*{{mojo title|id=inmycountry|title=In My Country}}
*{{mojo title|id=inmycountry|title=In My Country}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0349260|title=In My Country}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0349260|title=In My Country}}
Line 82: Line 87:
{{Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)}}
{{Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)}}


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[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2004 drama films]]
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[[Category:Afrikaans-language films]] not really an "Afrikaans-language film"; it is an English-language film with some dialogue in Afrikaans -->
[[Category:Films directed by John Boorman]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:Apartheid films]]
[[Category:English-language drama films]]
[[Category:English-language South African films]]
[[Category:English-language South African films]]
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[[Category:Films about poets]]
[[Category:South African films]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Boorman]]
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[[Category:Films produced by Robert Chartoff]]
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[[Category:Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)]]
[[Category:Films shot in South Africa]]
[[Category:Phoenix Pictures films]]
[[Category:Sony Pictures Classics films]]
[[Category:South African drama films]]
[[Category:South African drama films]]
[[Category:Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)]]
[[Category:Works about apartheid in South Africa]]

Latest revision as of 23:50, 21 December 2024

In My Country
Film poster
Directed byJohn Boorman
Written byAntjie Krog
Ann Peacock
Based onCountry of My Skull by Antjie Krog
Produced byJohn Boorman
Kieran Corrigan
Robert Chartoff
Lynn Hendee
Mike Medavoy
StarringSamuel L. Jackson
Juliette Binoche
Brendan Gleeson
CinematographySeamus Deasy
Edited byRon Davis
Music byMurray C. Anderson & Warrick Sony
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release date
  • 11 March 2004 (2004-03-11)
Running time
103 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million US [citation needed]
Box office$1,491,434[1]

In My Country is a 2004 drama film directed by John Boorman, and starring Samuel L. Jackson and Juliette Binoche. It is centred around the story of Afrikaner poet Anna Malan (Binoche) and an American journalist, Langston Whitfield (Jackson), sent to South Africa to report about the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings.

The screenplay, written by Ann Peacock, was based on Antjie Krog's memoir Country of My Skull. A special screening of the film was held for Nelson Mandela in December 2003 in the presence of John Boorman, Juliette Binoche and Robert Chartoff.

Plot

[edit]

The film takes place during the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) hearings between 1995 and 1996. The Afrikaner 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, who are struggling to come to terms with Black majority rule. Due to increasing crime and cattle rustling, Malan's family are uncertain about their place in post–Apartheid South Africa.

While attending a press conference in Cape Town, Anna meets up with her black colleague, the sound engineer Dumi Mkhalipi. She also encounters the African American journalist Langston Whitfield, who has been sent by The Washington Post to interview the former South African Army Colonel De Jager, who has been accused of human rights violations. While initially hostile towards White South Africans 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; 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 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's 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 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

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Filming took place in and around Cape Town 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:

Reception

[edit]

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.[citation needed]

While the film was thought to have its "heart and politics in the right place", the Washington Post described it as a "formula romance", in which Binoche fails at the Afrikaans accent and Jackson's character lacks credibility as a Post reporter.[2] The film received much criticism for the inclusion of a love affair, and its depiction of black South Africans.[3]

Awards

[edit]

Berlin Film Festival 2004

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "In My Country". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. ^ Thomson, Desson (1 April 2005). "'In My Country': Unjustifiable". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Country of My Skull". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
[edit]