DVD Review: Sophie Okonedo Gives Glow to Fact-Based Drama ‘Skin’

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CHICAGO – It’s difficult to think of a more appropriate film to be released on the first day of Black History Month 2011 than Anthony Fabian’s under-appreciated gem, “Skin.” First screened on the festival circuit in 2008 before being rolled out for a super-limited theatrical run in Fall 2009, this moving and important fact-based drama never got the exposure it so richly deserved.

The reason why Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus” failed to move many younger viewers was the fact that it never allowed audiences to feel the decades of struggle in South Africa that preceded the miraculous moment of unity explored by its story. The film never even bothered to explain the meaning of the word, ‘apartheid.’ “Skin” may in fact be the perfect companion piece to Eastwood’s film, since it literally puts a human face on the period of legalized racism enforced by the country’s ruling white minority for nearly a half-century.

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

Based on Judith Stone’s book, “When She Was White,” the film tells a true story so powerful and provocative that it needs to be seen to be believed. Ella Ramangwane plays Sandra Laing, a girl whose dark skin turns out to be a devastating shock to her white Afrikaner parents, Abraham (Sam Neill) and Sannie (Alice Krige). With the politics of apartheid barring her from society, Abraham fights for her daughter to be reclassified as “white,” though it’s impossible to reason with prejudiced minds, which continuously refuse to look beneath the surface of their own hatred. Some of the most disturbing images in the film are the faces of young Sandra’s teachers, who bite their cheeks so as not to openly join in the mocking laughter of their students. In her early years, Sandra naturally considers herself to be white, viewing herself to be not unlike the cream-colored doll she keeps by her side. After Abraham’s efforts finally pay off, the story flashes forward to her teenage years in the mid-’70s, where Sandra is portrayed by Sophie Okonedo, the spectacularly gifted performer best known for her Oscar-nominated role as Don Cheadle’s wife in “Hotel Rwanda.”

Sophie Okonedo stars in Anthony Fabian’s Skin.
Photo credit: Entertainment One

As the sprawling yet intimate story charts Sandra’s transition into adulthood over a twenty year period, Okonedo barely seems to age in purely physical terms. Yet through subtle movement and facial nuance, the actress turns in a transformative performance, nailing both the vulnerability of adolescence and the growing conviction of her inner identity ever-strengthened with age. Sandra suddenly finds herself at an eternal crossroads that threatens to permanently sever her ties from her parents.

Skin was released on DVD on Feb. 1, 2011. Photo credit: Entertainment One

While Abraham tries to fix her up with a series of socially appropriate boyfriends, she finds herself falling for a black man, Petrus (Tony Kgoroge from “Invictus”), a character whose violent mood swings are never developed beyond the level of a sketch. By attempting to condense the arc of Sandra’s life into 107 minutes, the film does occasionally shortchange itself dramatically (this material could’ve easily been expanded into a captivating miniseries).

Yet Fabian is correct in making the film more of an ensemble piece, exploring the caustic effect of apartheid on everyone involved. Society itself emerges as the true villain, and the characters who succumb to its short-sighted views end up becoming its victims. Neill and Krige are equally memorable and utterly heartbreaking as the parents who truly believe that they’re doing what’s best for their daughter by forcing her to deny her own identity. I encourage every history teacher in America to screen “Skin” for their classes when studying apartheid. It’s a beautiful and rewarding experience your students won’t soon forget.

“Skin” is presented in its 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and the DVD picture quality is second to none, though it’s clear that the film is visually striking enough to deserve a Blu-Ray release somewhere down the line. The special features are disappointingly brief and add no further insight to the factual subject matter. In an 11-minute making-of featurette, the real-life Sandra Laing appears briefly to reveal the raw pain that continues to linger from her unresolved relationship with her father. “They suffered to make me happy,” Laing says, refusing to make any negative comments about her parents. Director Fabian expresses his belief that stories from apartheid in South Africa should be logged on a cinematic canvas with the same frequency and reverence that filmmakers have had while capturing stories from the Holocaust.

There’s also 12 minutes of footage from script development workshops in which a group of actors tackle scenes from the script while offering suggestions (and occasionally, purging their own demons). One actor comes up with the idea for the haunting final scene involving Abraham, which allows his character to reconnect with his inner humanity, though the moment is too little, too late. Though the footage is certainly diverting, it’s isn’t presented with any context whatsoever. We have no real idea of who these people are and how they efforts will impact the film in the long run. Rounding out the underwhelming extras are three forgettable deleted scenes and a brief, thoroughly unnecessary selection of outtakes (it’s like watching the blooper reel from “Roots”).

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com matt@hollywoodchicago.com