Skin
Release Date October 29, 2009
Directed By Anthony Fabian
Starring Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill, Alice Krige, Tony Kgoroge
Official Site http://www.skinthemovie.net
Synopsis
SKIN is the astonishing true story of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda/The Secret Life of Bees) & young Ella Ramangwane), a black child born in 1950s South Africa to white Afrikaners (Sam Neill (The Tudors/Jurassic Park) & Alice Krige (Chariots of Fire/Star Trek: First Contact)), unaware of their black ancestry. Rural shopkeepers serving the local black community, Sandra's parents lovingly bring her up as their 'white' little girl. At the age of 10, Sandra is sent to an all-white boarding school and confronts the full force of the country's legalized system of racism when she is reclassified by the government as black and expelled from the school. Her parents fight for her to regain white privilege, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court - and effecting a change in the law, so that she becomes officially white again. But by the time she is a teenager, Sandra knows she will never be accepted by the white community. She falls in love with Petrus, (Tony Kgoroge - Blood Diamond/Hotel Rwanda), a black vegetable seller, and they elope together. Furious and broken-hearted, Sandra's father disowns her. Now she must live her life, for the first time, as a black woman in South Africa. Discovering a new culture and community brings confusion but also joy for Sandra while she still yearns for reunion with her family.
SKIN tells a fascinating story of betrayal and triumph with grace and simplicity raising the question of whether the labels "black" and "white" have any real meaning beyond that which society imposes. Sandra's determined fight for her basic freedoms and her parents' love is identifiable for all thanks to a radiant performance by Sophie Okonedo. Alice Krige, born and raised in Apartheid South Africa, is unforgettable as the mother torn between her husband's rage and her daughter's needs. Sam Neal provides another strong, empathic performance as the troubled head of the household.
SKIN is the astonishing true story of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda/The Secret Life of Bees) & young Ella Ramangwane), a black child born in 1950s South Africa to white Afrikaners (Sam Neill (The Tudors/Jurassic Park) & Alice Krige (Chariots of Fire/Star Trek: First Contact)), unaware of their black ancestry. Rural shopkeepers serving the local black community, Sandra's parents lovingly bring her up as their 'white' little girl. At the age of 10, Sandra is sent to an all-white boarding school and confronts the full force of the country's legalized system of racism when she is reclassified by the government as black and expelled from the school. Her parents fight for her to regain white privilege, taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court - and effecting a change in the law, so that she becomes officially white again. But by the time she is a teenager, Sandra knows she will never be accepted by the white community. She falls in love with Petrus, (Tony Kgoroge - Blood Diamond/Hotel Rwanda), a black vegetable seller, and they elope together. Furious and broken-hearted, Sandra's father disowns her. Now she must live her life, for the first time, as a black woman in South Africa. Discovering a new culture and community brings confusion but also joy for Sandra while she still yearns for reunion with her family.
SKIN tells a fascinating story of betrayal and triumph with grace and simplicity raising the question of whether the labels "black" and "white" have any real meaning beyond that which society imposes. Sandra's determined fight for her basic freedoms and her parents' love is identifiable for all thanks to a radiant performance by Sophie Okonedo. Alice Krige, born and raised in Apartheid South Africa, is unforgettable as the mother torn between her husband's rage and her daughter's needs. Sam Neal provides another strong, empathic performance as the troubled head of the household.
