Skin

It's 1965 Eastern Transvaal, South Africa. Sandra Laing is the young daughter of white Afrikaner parents Abraham (Sam Neill) and Sannie Laing (Alice Krige). She is kicked out of her all-white school for her African features despite being born as white. She is reclassified as colored and Abraham overturns it in court. At 17 in 1973, she has a relationship with black Petrus which drives a rift in between her family.

It's a compelling intriguing real life story. It takes a look at Apartheid from a different angle. There is a tough question at the center of the movie that is left uncertain. It does leave the movie at a disadvantage dealing with real people. Nothing is quite as clean in real life.

Sophie Okonedo is so beautiful and such a great actor! I still think she should have won an Oscar for her portrayal of Tatiana Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda. Again, she does an excellent job in Skin.

This story about a dark-skinned girl born to white Afrikaners during the apartheid era will come as a revelation to anyone who has forgotten what South Africa was like before the transformation brought about by Nelson Mandela and his colleagues. Not that South Africa is out of the jungle of racial conflict; it certainly isn't. But one hopes that the fate inflicted on Sandra Liang because of her color could happen today.

The story is gripping. The direction and the photography are efficient. The two best known actors in this film, Sophie Okenado ( Rawanda) and Sam Neill, are excellent as the adult Sandra and her Afrikaner father. But other unfamiliar players are also very good

This film follows the tragic story about a girl named Sandra Laing attempting to define who she is as a person during the repressive time of apartheid. Born into a white family, yet having a dark skin tone, commonly referred to scientifically as polygenetic inheritance, Sandra is constantly questioning her sense of identity and belonging amongst people that, supposedly, love her. The film powerfully encapsulates this woman's struggle throughout her arduous life, and as a viewer leaves you inspired by her courage and effort to simply live a happy and liberated life. In essence, it's a tragic yet inspiring story that should be heard and acknowledged by all people.

This is a movie that tugs at your heart strings and brings the ugly truth of prejudice to light. Sandra is a strong women who fights through many battles and achieves more than can be expected. She is courageous despite the many obstacles that lie in her way. We all experience identity struggles as we grow up but Sandra's was above the norm and she faced it head on with dignity.

Prejudice is the focus of the movie and how we as a people allow this to determine how and what we feel about one another. Just as in the movie Roots we see the struggle of the African American people, in the movie skin we are brought in on a more personal level as we see the internal struggle of one girl as she grows into a women looking for acceptance and love. The question is where will she find it.

Sophie Okonedo portrays the character of Sandra with touching and emotional quality. Her facial expressions bring you into her heart without a word being said. The soft lighting and grainy texture of the film bring the conflict and emotion out of the screen and into your living room. This is a must see movie.