He was capable of many things even in prison. As a born football fan, I am aware that the South African national football team is known as Bafana Bafana. Before I saw the painting “Goodbye Bafana”, I did not attach any importance to this word, and then I wondered what it meant. It turned out that in the Afrikaans language, which is referred to as the main expression of South Africa, there is no translation as such, but then we managed to find out that in the language of the spit, one of the tribes inhabiting South Africa, it means “Boy”, so you can connectively translate the tape as “Goodbye, boy!”.
In fact, the childhood in the action of the tape, based on the book of the former prison guard James Gregory, where Nelson Mandela was held, has long gone into oblivion. Mandela devoted his life to the struggle for the freedom of his people, becoming almost a household character, earning for his esoteric honor and respect of the whole world, and his warden Gregory, fluent in the language of spit, as he grew up in one of the provinces of South Africa among African boys, undoubtedly became very different people as the action developed.
Whether Gregory lied in his opus or not is irrelevant. But in a play by Dane Bille Augusta, we see the same impact Nelson Mandela has on other people. August systematically highlights not the hero of the struggle against apartheid, for which he spent 27 years in prison, but the prison worker himself. August gradually shows why Nelson Mandela gained such world fame, why he was listened to and admired by millions of people, putting forward in the picture an example of only one person. Gregory, who was white, was one of the privileged people, one of the people who could run everything, but the meeting with Mandela was enough for him to reconsider his views. It may not be so hard to prove, but in the context of Gregory's behavior, it's understandable. Against the background of one person, one is imbued with respect for another and understands his role in sobering society. Political cinema, in a word.
The harsh look of the picture, its claustrophobic Mandela prison or communication only with his circle of “whites” Gregory, you wouldn't have realized that if it wasn't for the acting. Nelson Mandela was played by Dennis Dexter Haysbert, better known for the series. But a gentle smile, honesty and openness in the eyes of Heisbert dominated. He’s certainly not as great as Morgan Freeman in Unconquered, but there was a feeling that the actor was impressed by the significance of his character and imbued with it. Joseph Fiennes was a little underplayed. In theory, we should have hated his character when watching, at least at first, but this did not happen, his too dejected and sad look said that soon Gregory, played by Fiennes, would change his principles and become a different person. And the true Aryan Dina Kruger, who played Gregory's wife... Very strong role, multi-layered, despite the secondary.
A good movie from Bille August, creator of House of Spirits. A film about how he could influence other people in the simple words of Nelson Mandela. The film is about who was able to turn the flywheels of history in a different direction thanks to the power of will and faith in freedom. Look, you will not lose, and perhaps you will become spiritually and politically more thoughtful.
8 out of 10
