Morgan Freeman makes an excellent directorial debut here. We are given a heart-wrenching insight into the politics of dilemma. But this dilemma, similar in some points to that confronted by Ntuku Makwena in DINGAKA (1965), is more finely nuanced and more complex. Micah Mangena is a black police sergeant in apartheid South Africa. Choosing from the three main options available to him, i.e., working in the mines, being without a job, or working for the South African Police, he believes he has chosen the most honorable occupation. But it soon becomes clear that working from inside the system to better the condition of his people, does not come without its own costs and spiritual limitations.
Danny Glover as Micah Mangena is pitch perfect. While watching him I found myself comparing his performance to that of Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman in DEATH OF A SALESMAN (1949). While his decision to represent the State as a police officer for a racist regime has proved materially provident for his family, it also seems to have attenuated his moral perception when it comes to confronting the injustices suffered by those who bear the brunt of its brutalities. When he finally comes to realize that he has been experiencing victimization through the moral attrition of his own character, it is a realization that comes very late in the narrative and with chilling consequences. That realization is all the more poignant as Mangena represents such a strong male image and character in his environment and among the members of his community.
He wishes his son Zweli, as played by Maynard Eziashi, to follow in his footsteps. But his son has his own doubts about becoming one of the main agents enforcing the laws of Apartheid. Even while Micah trains the latest crop of new young recruits, his son helps his fellow students to organize protest meetings and even invites a famous anti-apartheid activist, Pule Rampa, as played by Malick Bowens, to speak at one of these gatherings. This creates a rift between father and son, as these meetings and the political issues they raise are against the law. Things come to a head when Micah becomes instrumental in the arrest and capture of Rampa, who is considered by the authorities a terrorist, while being seen as a freedom fighter by the common people he represents.
Alfre Woodard gives an emotionally rich and absorbing performance as the wife of Micah Mangena. We are forced to appreciate her struggle to keep the family together, even as very real social forces work to tear them apart. Micah Mangena begins the film as a figure of honor and dignity and never comes to completely relinquish this position even when he can no longer look away from the brutaility and even murder he has been a party to making happen. When it finally becomes clear to him that he chose the most honorable path for all the right reasons only to have it all devolve into the most heinous results, he resolves to act upon his own change of heart. This attempt to shrug off the mantle of 'pawn of the oppressor' proves to lead to his very undoing.
This movie posits the question, "What do you do when you realize you've been wrong all your life?'. How do you begin to make amends and set things right? Based upon the play by Percy Mtwa, I agree with the late Roger Ebert that the ending evokes a significant tone of classical tragedy. Morgan Freeman chooses here not to focus on the sensational, but instead presents a man smothered as much by the oppression and exploitation of his country as he is by his own hubris.
The dramatic restraint here is masterly. This gives the subject matter here the kind of measured solemnity that goes beyond the popularization of current events and makes possible an appeal to reason and understanding and even philosophic reflection. The cinematography of David Watkin along with the music of James Horner, effectively counterpoints the beauties of South Africa with the harsh realities of its tortuous fascism fomenting civil unrest and anarchy. Malcolm McDowell presents us with apartheid's true face in force and violence beneath its placid veneer of social goodwill and civic welfare.
This film, despite its critical acclaim, did not do well at the box office. But I make note of it here as a classic of human drama, and Freeman's directorial debut as being comparable to that of Charles Laughton at the helm of THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955). It is of especial interest as it is told from the point of view of a black protagonist as he starts from on high and is brought low. I also believe that Time will be kind to this film, and it will find a growing audience as people come to better appreciate and understand how the weird vectors of racial tensions can overflow with unexpected ironies. Until then, the moviegoer can enjoy what it feels like to be gored upon the horns of dilemma.
Danny Glover as Micah Mangena is pitch perfect. While watching him I found myself comparing his performance to that of Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman in DEATH OF A SALESMAN (1949). While his decision to represent the State as a police officer for a racist regime has proved materially provident for his family, it also seems to have attenuated his moral perception when it comes to confronting the injustices suffered by those who bear the brunt of its brutalities. When he finally comes to realize that he has been experiencing victimization through the moral attrition of his own character, it is a realization that comes very late in the narrative and with chilling consequences. That realization is all the more poignant as Mangena represents such a strong male image and character in his environment and among the members of his community.
He wishes his son Zweli, as played by Maynard Eziashi, to follow in his footsteps. But his son has his own doubts about becoming one of the main agents enforcing the laws of Apartheid. Even while Micah trains the latest crop of new young recruits, his son helps his fellow students to organize protest meetings and even invites a famous anti-apartheid activist, Pule Rampa, as played by Malick Bowens, to speak at one of these gatherings. This creates a rift between father and son, as these meetings and the political issues they raise are against the law. Things come to a head when Micah becomes instrumental in the arrest and capture of Rampa, who is considered by the authorities a terrorist, while being seen as a freedom fighter by the common people he represents.
Alfre Woodard gives an emotionally rich and absorbing performance as the wife of Micah Mangena. We are forced to appreciate her struggle to keep the family together, even as very real social forces work to tear them apart. Micah Mangena begins the film as a figure of honor and dignity and never comes to completely relinquish this position even when he can no longer look away from the brutaility and even murder he has been a party to making happen. When it finally becomes clear to him that he chose the most honorable path for all the right reasons only to have it all devolve into the most heinous results, he resolves to act upon his own change of heart. This attempt to shrug off the mantle of 'pawn of the oppressor' proves to lead to his very undoing.
This movie posits the question, "What do you do when you realize you've been wrong all your life?'. How do you begin to make amends and set things right? Based upon the play by Percy Mtwa, I agree with the late Roger Ebert that the ending evokes a significant tone of classical tragedy. Morgan Freeman chooses here not to focus on the sensational, but instead presents a man smothered as much by the oppression and exploitation of his country as he is by his own hubris.
The dramatic restraint here is masterly. This gives the subject matter here the kind of measured solemnity that goes beyond the popularization of current events and makes possible an appeal to reason and understanding and even philosophic reflection. The cinematography of David Watkin along with the music of James Horner, effectively counterpoints the beauties of South Africa with the harsh realities of its tortuous fascism fomenting civil unrest and anarchy. Malcolm McDowell presents us with apartheid's true face in force and violence beneath its placid veneer of social goodwill and civic welfare.
This film, despite its critical acclaim, did not do well at the box office. But I make note of it here as a classic of human drama, and Freeman's directorial debut as being comparable to that of Charles Laughton at the helm of THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955). It is of especial interest as it is told from the point of view of a black protagonist as he starts from on high and is brought low. I also believe that Time will be kind to this film, and it will find a growing audience as people come to better appreciate and understand how the weird vectors of racial tensions can overflow with unexpected ironies. Until then, the moviegoer can enjoy what it feels like to be gored upon the horns of dilemma.