WasAnnon
Slow pace in the most part of the movie.
VividSimon
Simply Perfect
Janis
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
ad1mt
Bad, bad, bad.Mediocre acting.Poor casting.Mediocre script; and in particular... unconvincing motivation of characters, leading to a multitude of questions like why did a particular character take one action instead of a different, and more logical action? Very little that anyone does in this story makes sense, apart from the actions of Melanie's parents and the College administrators.It is not convincing that Melanie would have anything to do with the rather repulsive college professor.(spoiler) I'm not convinced of Lurie's supposed reformation; to my eyes it is either meant to be fake or it's bad acting. (spoiler)I've not read the book, but I don't think I should have to; a filmed version of a book should be able to stand on its own. If it is necessary then the film has failed.Supposedly an allegory, but surely the point of an allegory is that a seemingly different story/circumstance can give insight into another, but when the allegory is as confused as this, then it just does not work on any level.
allyatherton
A Cape Town professor has an affair with a student.Starring John Malkovich and Jessica Haines.Written by J.M Koetzee (Novel) and Screenplay by Anna Maria Monticelli.Directed by Steve Jacobs.This is dark and quirky and left of centre, pretty much how I like my movies.It's basically about desire and how it can often lead to devastating results. John Malkovich and Jessica Haines are excellent and the whole thing kept my interest all the way. I really liked the location filming and it made a nice change to watch something set in South Africa. This movie makes you think and that's a good thing.A safe and enjoyable 7.5 out of 10.
James Moore
The story line is that: the father has sexual proclivity for colored young women, and abuses his power to get what he wants; the daughter (who, of course, is white) who lives a secluded life in a sea of blacks, chooses to endure and submit to the humiliation of being raped, robbed, and taken advantage of by her black neighbours, so that she can continue with her way of life in the country; the father, gaining insight into his own past abuse of power through the blacks' abuse of power upon his own daughter, finally repents and becomes genuinely remorseful for his own abuse of power (over young black women). In other words, he has finally realized how "disgraceful" his past conduct used to be.So, it is an allegory of the nation of South Africa itself: father is the old Apartheid-South Africa, abusing, humiliating and taking advantage of black people; daughter is the whites in the 'new' South Africa with blacks in power, abusing, humiliating and taking advantage of the cowered whites in their turn. Just as the old whites robbed the blacks of their land, made them beg for their mercy, the daughter is now being robbed of her land by Petrus and depends on him to keep the black boys away from her. Now the table has turned. Just as Lucy has voluntarily become Petrus' tenant on her own land, South African whites, by handing the power over to the blacks, become blacks' tenants in their own land. Simbolically, across Lucy's house Petrus has built a brand new house, as if telling Lucy that this land is now my land.The thing is, the movie is improbable and rather far-fetched in one crucial aspect: why the victims are going to so many lengths to submit to the abusers (in both father's and daughter's cases) to such extreme degree. Did the college girl not have the option of reporting the professor's conduct to the disciplinary board? Did she not have the free will to refuse the invitations and wining and dining? Did the professor force himself upon her? Now let's turn to the daughter: She knows that Petrus had masterminded the robbing and rape in order to drive her out of the farm: Yet she still makes a deal with him on such humiliating terms for his "protection" The victim of rape is seeking protection from further rape by making a humiliating deal with the rapist. Is she an incurable masochist? Or is there some compelling reason that she will not or cannot leave the farm? The movie never tells. Perhaps the movie is attempting to allegorize and translate into personal dimension the change that has happened in the relationship between the whites and blacks in South Africa in general. But the story as told in the format of movie simply fails to convey the subtle nuances in the novel, and would only look improbable and far-fetched to whoever sees the movie without first reading the novel.
bobapplwizard
I've NOT read the book and WILL NOT as I was deeply disturbed by the movie. This was a quality production, above average direction with very good performances, especially Malkovich, always weird but great. I saw two important themes; the main character Lurie's dispassionate, self-absorbed and arrogant existence (and an eventual partial thaw)amid the chaos and turmoil as South Africa reverts to a lawless culture as the structure accorded by apartheid unravels. The core of the plot is not Lurie but he and his daughter's relationship with their world around them as they lose their favored white status and grow fearful of racially-motivated violence. Malkovich shines as his character's aloof persona moves about unhurriedly and only the most disturbing event imaginable gets him riled to the point of some level of action. I believe the greatest disgrace, among several is Petrus' reaction to the rape and violence perpetrated upon his white neighbors. His matter-of-fact behavior, deceit and rationalization is absolutely astounding. The inference I drew is that as whites they had it coming to them. Also a disgrace is the decision by Lucy to remain even though she knows she was a target for the jackroll and may be again. It's clear that as a white woman she is a favored target. That Lucy and David lower their guards to perhaps prevent the assaults is almost beyond belief and shows the naiveté and vulnerability of these whites who fall from power. The movie reveals the deep racism and hatred in South Africa.
