GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

moonspinner55 An apartheid musical, adapted from a minor Broadway hit from 1988, and ostensibly directed at families (with Whoopi Goldberg's casting a commercial hook). South African students, led by headstrong teenager Sarafina, protest and riot when their beloved teacher, Goldberg's politically-wise Mary Masombuka, is taken to prison over arguments implementing the West Germanic Afrikaans as the school's language. Would-be inspirational effort, a pet project for Whoopi, was shot on-location in Soweto and Johannesburg, and does a fairly interesting job mixing the harsh realities of this strife-ridden city with unabashed singing and dancing (mainly used as fantasy subtext). However, the political points are made early on in Mbongeni Ngema's and William Nicholson's screenplay, so there's really no place surprising the picture can go. The impetus of the material is to teach us something through the students' passionate fervor, but director Darrell Roodt can only work up a mild head of steam, while his film quickly falls back on that old stand-by: sermonizing. Goldberg, in sedate mode, smiles serenely at the kids, nodding quietly in agreement with their protestations (she has the patience of 100 saints). Her first involvement in an early number, a musical prayer set on the school grounds, is ridiculously clumsy. The teenagers, energetic to a fault, fare somewhat better. *1/2 from ****

eliebson This was an awful movie! Not for the subject matter, but for the delivery. I went with my girlfriend at the time (when the movie came out), expecting to see a movie about the triumph of the human spirit over oppression. What we saw was 2 hours of brutal police oppression, with no uplift at the end. The previews and ads made NO mention of this! Plus, for all that they played up whoopi goldberg, my recollection is that she is arrested and killed in the first 20 minutes! Again, the previews say nothing about this! (not that you would expect that, but it's just more of the problem). If I had known how depressing this movie would be, I would've never have seen it. Or at least, I would've been prepared for it. This was a bait and switch ad campaign, and I will NEVER see this movie again!

Kaety I saw Sarafina as a stage show/musical when I was only a teenager and it drove home for me the hardships of young people in Africa. I saw this movie AFTER Nelson Mandela was released and yet it still is an overwhelmingly powerful movie. I enjoyed it and personally don't think that the musical aspects spoil the message and it does the original cast proud!!! Bravo! Whoopi Goldberg lends her brilliant compassion to the role and helps to endear the school teacher who supports the kids to the audience.Unlike the traditional song and dance musicals which were all sweetness and light this movie manages to tackle hard and unpleasant issues whilst still being uplifting at times and glorious musically!

Tanabi5790 Any fans of "The Lion King" (film -or- musical) and "The Power of One" will enjoy this film beyond belief. Based on the broadway musical "Sarafina!", this film (distributed by Buena Vista [Walt Disney Studios]) definetely meets my expectations.It isn't about the acting. I personally think that the cast was amazing, but for those select few who think Whoopi Goldberg did a so-called "mediocre" acting job, this film is about a story, a very strong story. Who cares about the acting? I mean, look at "Gone With The Wind". The acting sucks and look how popular it is!So anyway, the story is very dramatic and sort of violent, but is very emotional and touching. The music is fantastic, "Freedom is Coming Tomorrow" being one of the highlights of the film. If you haven't seen this movie, go see it now, regardless of what people say. It is an amazing film.