Review of In My Country (2004) by Ray D — 22 Jun 2005

[color=white][b][u][size=4]In My Country[/size] [size=2](2005)[/size][/u] [/b][/color].

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[b]This is a movie that I went to see with an enormous amount of enthusiasm. I thought the trailer was intriguing and I was told by an acquaintance that I should see it. Those are usually two fairly good enough reasons to get me to the theater. In My Country directed by John Boorman attempts to tell a tale of importance, a story about two individuals drawn together in South Africa during the Truth and Conciliation Commission hearings after Apartheid in South Africa.

Juliette Binoche is a local poet who is covering the events for the radio and Samuel L. Jackson is an American journalist sent to get some insight into the Commission's proceedings which were about bringing together people from both sides of the racial conflict and having accused torturers and killers confront their victims and in some way doing penitence and maybe through their contrition being granted a form of amnesty for their past crimes.

The two journalists meet and become personally entwined, this is telescoped way early, maybe as early as the trailer? Their relationship is strengthened by a similar exposure to the social ramifications of the crimes committed and the people who committed them and their victims and the couple's two respective takes on same.

The idea of social reconciliation of two peoples through the Committee's process is a much harder concept for the black American journalist to believe in. He is somehow confronted with his own personal demons when he interviews one of the worst white offenders in the torturous events before Apartheid. Binoche's character is going through a similar yet different kind of personal turmoil caused by her hearing and seeing what her own people have done to their helpless victims. Both of these characters start to find a refuge in each other and both come from fairly dysfunctional backgrounds as we learn, making this an even easier reason for their budding romance.

Of course the fact that one is black and one is white is almost too obvious a "romantic" plot ploy in my opinion. I think it would have been more interesting if both characters had been white frankly..ah but then it would have been another movie, which halfway through I was starting to wish it was. This film is a noble attempt by Boorman to make a serious movie about a serious and frankly important time and issue. Unfortunately the story has very little to do with the Truth and Conciliation Commission, instead using this event more as a background for the melodrama that is the affair between the two antagonists. The initial idea of this film is a great concept, too bad it really doesn?t come to fruition as a picture of this period in history.

I thought, the problems started fairly early, when I thought I noticed Samuel L. Jackson seemed uncomfortable in his skin, so to speak. He was pre-occupied throughout his fairly wooden performance. I realize now I think he was really pretty much mailing it in. If this movie has any saving graces they come from Juliette Binoche who on the contrary seemed to have really done her homework for her role. Her Afrikaans accent seemed legit as if she had spent time with a dialect coach and her spirit throughout was believable and often inspiring. She is a pleasant actress to watch and she doesn't disappoint here. The film does and it just got worse frankly.

In My Country could and should have been a film rich with the storyline of redemption, forgiveness and ultimately love winning over violence, suffering and hatred between two peoples. Instead we get a fairly obvious love story between two people in a film decorated by an important event instead of awash in it. I think it's a shame that the film-makers didn't have many good ideas as to how to pull this one off. There is a weak script, and without a good one, this film which attempts to be important just isn't.

One thing I thought could have been explored more is the fact that post-Apartheid South Africa has a great deal in common with an African-America of today. It is still an unequal community where very little political help has proved to keep people down and unable to sit in at the rich banquet-of-life that is their white counterpart's privilege. This is sad and so is this lackluster film that could have been so much more.[/b][/color].