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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, November 6, 2009 ‘Skin’: Apartheid story better suited for TV By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic A strange and tragic true story from the apartheid era is aired in “Skin,” a potent look back at a regime of lawful racism. Sandra Laing was born in 1955 to white parents in South Africa. Because of a genetic quirk (presumably due to a long-forgotten or suppressed black ancestor), Sandra was visibly of black heritage. Her parents tried to ignore this — in a racially segregated society, such a mystery could not only cause controversy but also legal issues. “Skin” spends some time showing how young Sandra is first ostracized when her parents, played in the film by Alice Krige and Sam Neill, bring her to boarding school. The school spends a great deal of energy getting Sandra away from her lily-white classmates. As a teenager, played by Sophie Okonedo, Sandra is increasingly alienated, even as her father sues to have the national racial laws changed to correspond to parental lineage, not skin color. Restless, Sandra finds comfort with a black worker. But the decision to identify more as black than white will have permanent consequences in her family’s attitude toward her. The heartbreaking turns of Sandra Laing’s life are justification enough for making a film about her life story, although, with one exception, “Skin” simply isn’t a very vital piece of moviemaking. It tends to hit the notes in a dutiful way, closer to a sincere TV movie than a richly imagined response to her struggle. The weight is on her family and her thorny relationship with them, especially her father’s rigid need to be obeyed in his opinions about the case. While Sam Neill and Alice Krige are fine in those parental roles, the emphasis on the personal rather than the political means the film misses a larger picture. Although the small picture is disturbing enough. The most engaging aspect of the movie is Sophie Okonedo’s performance, which is quietly powerful. This actress, best known for “Hotel Rwanda,” has a subtle style that often expresses itself in silence, which is just right for a character who constantly struggles with defining herself against the rest of the world. She holds your attention even in the movie’s more ordinary scenes. “Skin” ½ A strange and tragic true story from the apartheid days: Sophie Okonedo plays a young South African woman who (due to a genetic quirk) is visibly black, despite being born to white parents (Sam Neill, Alice Krige). Okonedo gives a quietly arresting performance, although the film itself remains mostly at the TV-movie level. Rated: PG-13 for subject matter Showing: Seven Gables READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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