Skin

This movie has all the elements for a potentially riveting film: a disheartening story that deals with racial injustice, a protagonist who faces personal dissension beyond her control, and a historical setting that confronts the political transitions of an entire country. Television director Anthony Fabian makes his feature film debut here with good intentions but obvious inexperience. There are many gaps in the storyline that are caused by mere inconsistency with the overall flow of the film. Skin opens with Sandra Laing (played by Sophie Okonedo) on the day of the First Free Election in South Africa in 1994 and quickly flashes back to her childhood days, some three decades earlier. This is very similar to the approach that James Mangold took with his biopic Walk the Line; where you are introduced to the main character, taken back in time to their youth, and observe their development up to the opening sequence. Fabian, however, does not demonstrate the same kind of genius as Mangold and instead the film merely displays a series of misfortunate events rather than witnessing the growth of its characters. This is not entirely the fault of the director, the script probably was not character driven, but it still ultimately sells the real life story of Sandra Laing short.

Sandra was a “black” woman who was born to and raised by two white Afrikaner parents during South Africa’s Apartheid. Because of some sort of genetic irregularity, she has physical features such as dark skin and nappy hair that make her look black. Her white parents, Abraham and Sannie Laing (played by Sam Neill & Alice Krige) are modest yet successful shopkeepers in Transvaal, a rural region of eastern South Africa. No one in their hometown seems to care about the differences between Sandra and her parents because of their situation among the townspeople. But when the couple enrolls Sandra at a prominent boarding school where her elder white brother is already enrolled, for white citizens only, it becomes very apparent that she is “different”.

Young Sandra (played by Ella Ramangwane) adamantly proclaims “I'm not black!” to an open-minded dormmate of hers who conveys that she has many black friends back home in Swaziland. While Sandra realizes that she is a spectacle there, she does not find any fault in her appearance, yet. This is a major plot point in the film because it demonstrates how the innocence of a child can relate major injustices, in this case racial discrimination, to an otherwise ignorant society. As Sandra continues to attend classes and live there, the discrimination becomes more and more apparent. It quickly becomes an issue for many other students, their parents, and the staff, which ultimately leads to the legal proceedings to determine Sandra’s race and origin. Ramangwane adorns as the child Sandra, notably in a scene where she attempts to change her skin color by applying a lightening cream to herself that is not intended for human application.

Academy Award-nominee Sophie Okonedo portrays Sandra during her adolescent and adult years. She executes steadfastly as both a naïve schoolgirl and later on as an oppressed wife and mother. Such versatility is not surprising from Okonedo, as we have seen her discourse in such films as The Secret Life of Bees and of course Hotel Rwanda. Although Okonedo conveys a visceral presence on screen, her character does not really grow throughout the film. Her situations may change, but Sandra herself seemingly does not evolve as a character. The conflicts she faces are not enough to force the audience into an emotional state where they can sympathize with her. And while I may not know the complete story of Sandra Laing, this is the biggest downfall of the movie. How can viewers appreciate the film, if they are unable to identify with either the character’s situation or the circumstances surrounding her at the time?

Sam Neil turns in a decent performance as Sandra’s father Abraham. His efforts to fight the system and redeem his family are admirable. We watch his struggles to get Sandra reclassified as white, all the way up to the Supreme Court. There, a geneticist argues convincingly that, as a result of South Africa's long colonialist history, most Afrikaners probably have some “colored” blood in them. Abraham's relentless, angry pursuit of such justice unfortunately has little impact on the prejudices of others, and really only ensures that Sandra herself remains unacceptable in Afrikaner society. And while his stubbornness and convictions seem praiseworthy at first, it only results in his personal demise.

There seems to be a plethora of movies coming out this season set against the Apartheid. The word Apartheid literally means “separateness” in Afrikaans. The era known as the Apartheid was a system of racial segregation that was legally introduced and enforced by the ruling power of South Africa, the National Party, between 1948 and 1994. The historical background of this film plays a significant role in the story. I do not believe that the general public knows much about the Apartheid of South Africa. Because the film itself does not provide an extensive insight into the circumstances of the country at the time, the situation that surrounds Sandra Laing and her family become evanescent. This is a major oversight on the filmmaker’s part. It is clear why Skin has been so well received at the Pan African Film Festival and at the British Independent Film Awards. But audiences without background knowledge of the Apartheid may not yield as much empathy because of its overall lack of deliverance.

Rating: ★ ★
Bottom Line: A copiously done film about racial injustice that lacks cohesion and emotional appetite. At most, add it to your Netflix list.