A World Apart (1988) was directed by Chris Menges. The script was written by Shawn Slovo, daughter of anti-apartheid activist Ruth First, who--as Diana Roth--is the protagonist of the film.
Barbara Hershey portrays Diana Roth, who is a white journalist working against apartheid. Her husband is a wanted man, who has escaped to a unknown location. Roth is raising her three children as a single parent.
Barbara Hershey plays her role brilliantly, as does Linda Mvusi as the African maid, Elsie.
Still, I think the acting honors go to Jodhi May as Roth's daughter, Molly Roth. This is a coming of age movie for Molly, who is well accepted by her white friends, until her father escapes and her mother is arrested.
May was 12 when the movie was produced. She remains the youngest person to win the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. (She shared the award with Hershey and Mvusi.)
The film is set in 1968, just as the infamous 90-day detention law was going into effect. That law made it legal for the police to hold people--without charge--for 90 days. During this time, they were "interrogated." This frequently included torture, especially for blacks.
This movie is actually a docudrama. Ruth First was the first white woman held in prison under the new law. Her time in prison is vividly portrayed in the movie. You don't want to be in that prison under interrogation for nine minutes, let alone 90 days.
I thought this was an extraordinary movie. Remember that it was produced in 1988. This was 20 years beyond the time in which the movie is set, but still before anyone could know that apartheid would end. (Apartheid didn't end until 1994.)
This movie has a weak IMDb rating of 6.9. This is a case where I say, "Did the raters see the same movie that I saw?" This is a great movie. I highly recommend it, and rated it 10.
P.S. Watch for David Suchet as Muller, a high-ranking police official. He may really care about Roth, or he might just be playing "good cop." It's hard to know where he fits, but it's easy to know that he's a fine actor.
Barbara Hershey portrays Diana Roth, who is a white journalist working against apartheid. Her husband is a wanted man, who has escaped to a unknown location. Roth is raising her three children as a single parent.
Barbara Hershey plays her role brilliantly, as does Linda Mvusi as the African maid, Elsie.
Still, I think the acting honors go to Jodhi May as Roth's daughter, Molly Roth. This is a coming of age movie for Molly, who is well accepted by her white friends, until her father escapes and her mother is arrested.
May was 12 when the movie was produced. She remains the youngest person to win the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. (She shared the award with Hershey and Mvusi.)
The film is set in 1968, just as the infamous 90-day detention law was going into effect. That law made it legal for the police to hold people--without charge--for 90 days. During this time, they were "interrogated." This frequently included torture, especially for blacks.
This movie is actually a docudrama. Ruth First was the first white woman held in prison under the new law. Her time in prison is vividly portrayed in the movie. You don't want to be in that prison under interrogation for nine minutes, let alone 90 days.
I thought this was an extraordinary movie. Remember that it was produced in 1988. This was 20 years beyond the time in which the movie is set, but still before anyone could know that apartheid would end. (Apartheid didn't end until 1994.)
This movie has a weak IMDb rating of 6.9. This is a case where I say, "Did the raters see the same movie that I saw?" This is a great movie. I highly recommend it, and rated it 10.
P.S. Watch for David Suchet as Muller, a high-ranking police official. He may really care about Roth, or he might just be playing "good cop." It's hard to know where he fits, but it's easy to know that he's a fine actor.