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I saw this last month at the 2009 Palm springs International Film Festival. This is based on the true story set in South Africa during the Apartheid system of a Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), who was born of dark skin to two Afrikaaners of white Eropean descent Abraham (Sam Neill) and Sannie (Alice Krige) Laing. Sandra is a genetic throwback because unknown to her parents, and like many Afrikaaners, there was mixed blood in their heritage between the Euopeans who settled in South Africa and the indigenous Africans. The story begins with Sophie getting expelled from an all-white school because of her differences in appearance. She is reclassified as dark. Her father (who is himself a bigot) fights to have her reclassified as white. She eventually is but against her family wishes she causes an unbreakable divide when she decides to marry a black man and have herself reclassified yet again as black. This is the feature film directorial debut of writer/director Anthony Fabian who was also present at my screening for an audience Q&A. The screenplay is from Helen Crawley but there was a book written recently by author Judith Stone called When She Was White that goes more into the complete story of Sophie's life. This film covers Sophie from around age 10 through her first marriage. Both Fabian's film and Stone's book had the cooperation of Sophie herself in their making. An excellent cast with three veterans in the principal roles with Neill, Krige, and the young but very busy Okonedo who was an Oscar nominee for Hotel Rwanda. This is a good film but it plays more like a made for TV movie and HBO, BET, Hallmark, A&E, AMC or Lifetime should all consider showing this. I would give this an 7.5 out of 10 and recommend it.

This is a great film that is based on the true story of Sandra Liang in South Africa. Sandra, who has dark skin, was born to two white parents in the heat of the apartheid. She struggles to define herself against the classifications of society. Her dad, who is racist, causes strain on her own self discovery, and strains her relationship with her mother as well. The film chronicles her adventures at an all white school, as well as her marriage to a black man, although she is "white". Her journey is intriguing. The film itself makes you question the race-labeling system.

It is a great film that will raise questions and spark intriguing debates on what it means to be black.

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.

Too few of us realize the atrocities of Apartheid, a social and political policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by white minority governments in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. 'The term apartheid (from the Afrikaans word for "apartness") was coined in the 1930s and used as a political slogan of the National Party in the early 1940s, but the policy itself extends back to the beginning of white settlement in South Africa in 1652. After the primarily Afrikaner Nationalists came to power in 1948, the social custom of apartheid was systematized under law. The implementation of the policy, later referred to as "separate development," was made possible by the Population Registration Act of 1950, which put all South Africans into three racial categories: Bantu (black African), white, or Coloured (of mixed race).' Yes, everyone knows the story of Nelson Mandela and the end of Apartheid, but too few of us recognize the appalling effects of that system on the peoples of South Africa. This true story should alter that and perhaps bring a higher degree of respect for those who survived that ugly system. Based on the book 'When She Was White' by Judith Stone, Anthony Fabian wrote the story (with Helen Crawley, Jessie Keyt and Helena Kriel) and directs this terrifying but ultimately triumphant film - a story we shall not soon forget.

Abraham and Lannie Laing (Sam Neill and Alice Krige) are Afrikaans who live and work their general store in the countryside with their two children Sandra (Ella Ramangwane as the young Sandra and Sphie Okenedo as the mature Sandra) and Henry. The Laings have sequestered themselves because their daughter appears black. Abraham constantly defends the 'whiteness' of his daughter at every level of the government and finally the Laings obtain admission to private white school for Sandra and Henry. The school quickly dismisses Sandra because she 'is black', is beaten by teachers, and the school calls in doctors and other government support to back their opinion. But through the tireless efforts of Abraham he finally gets a certification of Sandra's 'whiteness'. Sandra faces intolerance from the community but finds solace in the attention of a 'kaffir', Petrus Zwane (Tony Kgoroge) and in time the frustrated Sandra accepts the warmth of Petrus and they fall in love. Abraham is furious and casts Sandra out of his home: Sandra and Petrus move into a black village and have babies until the whites demand the land on which the blacks are living and destroy Sandra and Petrus's home. Petrus turns to drink and blames his loss of all his goods on marrying a 'white girl': Sandra and her now three children move to Johannesburg to find safety and employment, having been rejected by Sandra's parents. When the Apartheid is banished Sandra becomes a spokesperson for her people and her country because she 'never gave up'.

In this history of the Apartheid the impact is made so very much stronger by the fact that the film shows both sides of the struggle - from the white viewpoint and the black viewpoint. Sandra's father may have fought against the prejudice but when his daughter accepts being black, he is as raw and prejudiced as the rest of the whites. Sandra's mother (played with compassion by Alice Krige) maintains her love and support of her beloved daughter but by societal demands she must bow to her husband's wishes. As Sandra Sophie Okenedo shines in a performance that is brilliantly three dimensional - she is an enormously gifted actress. The entire large cast is excellent, recreating a period in history we can only hope will never happen again. This is a wholly satisfying film.

Grady Harp

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.

Anthony Fabian's 'Skin'is a powerful drama of South Africa's shameful history of white colonial Apartheit rule,that was thankfully overthrown. The story starts in 1965 when a young ten year old girl, Sandra has been thrown out of school for being black,despite the fact that she is of white,European parents. Her father,Abraham (played by screen veteran,Sam Neill)fights to get her back in school,by challenging the South African courts to insist that she's white). When he is unsuccessful,the family resigns to the fact that their daughter has to deal with the burden that she will be treated badly,because she is regarded as black. As the years go by,Sandra (now played as an adult by Sophie Okonedo,who absolutely shone in 'Hotel Rwanda')has grown into a beautiful woman,who is desired by one of the black locals, which disturbs Abe much (Abe is as much a vile racist as the rest of the population of the town). The rest of the film spans over a twenty plus year time frame that tells much of South Africa's social history,set against Sandra's tempestuous own personal history. The cast is rounded out by Alice Krige (as Sandra's long suffering mother,Sannie),Tony Kgorogue,as Sandra's lover & father of her children, who turns out to be hot tempered & abusive toward Sandra, as well as a cast of South African actors that turn in shining performances. The screenplay (written by Helen Crawley,Jessie Keyl & Helena Kriel) makes the most out of what was easily a dark period in South Africa's social history (and what some,even to this day,would love nothing better than to do but bring back). Rated PG-13 by the MPAA,this film contains some strong language,brief nudity & sexuality,and some truly disturbing images of racist fueled violence.

Background: A dramatization of the life of Sandra Laing who we see speaking in the end credits. This South African story begins in 1966 during the apartheid era with a white store owner and their two children one of whom, Sandra Laing, has features that would be controversially classified as "coloureds" (mixed ethnic/racial & commonly w/white males) along with blacks & whites & Asians (mostly Indian).

Criticism: Whenever white, mostly Dutch, Afrikaners are presented they are almost all portrayed as vile & as nasty as can be. Could this have been so universally true?

Story: At the time people were defined/registered by their skin color. We see Sandra undergoing a magistrate's exam by having her skin examined & a pencil placed into her hair to test for holding power meant to distinguish coloureds & blacks from whites. Later we hear a courtroom geneticist testimony that most Afrikaners (white Dutch) carry "black" genes (guffaws from the white audience on hearing that) thus a recombination could produce darker skin & hair (called polygenic inheritance). Later in our story the registration laws were changed to make descent rather than appearance the determining factor. We follow Sandra into the '80s as she grows up & the alienation from her family. You get a feel for the effects of racism on a person that no written story could convey. How it divides & breaks whatever goodness is in people. We see Sandra at the end with her Rainbow Tuck Shop (a very small shop selling food, etc.). And this from her, "It's what's in the inside of you that matters, not the outside."

Comment: I can think of some politicians, particularly one, raised in a wealthy privileged setting w/servants that while growing up could have benefited from seeing this story.

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.

Honestly, as an ex South African and anti apartheid activist I expected more from this movie. I think it glossed over the monstrous evil that was apartheid and the every day racism so prevalent in the country in those times.

I also felt the characters didn't ring true.

This movie, showcasing a great director and talented task, surely lives up to its expectations.

The topic it handles is somewhat controversial and very important to portray in a satisfying way, but they manage to do it splendidly.

The acting is overall great, the characters, the lead actress in particular, is splendidly written. Very much props to the director and the casting overall.

The cinematography is very fluid overall and it's a very beautiful and well edited film.

Several movies have been made around this topic, but this has to stand out as one of the best for sure. It should definitely be watched by any lover of film or if you have an interest in the topical conflict.

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

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.

Sandra Laing was born to a white mother and father yet she had the skin color of a black person. Although Sandra's mother bore a baby boy that came out to be dark like Sandra, the movie stayed focused on Sandra and the parents.

The movie showed that great perseverance can make just as much difference as the obstacles. The plot focused on the obstacle of being colored in a white world or family for that matter as this white family tried to raise their daughter that looked black in South Africa. Black people were being treated as beneath whites but Sandra was taught by her father to "never give up".

Sandra's parent had her classified as white with the Government but all of the hardships Sandra and the family face forces Sandra to question her Identity where Sandra eventually finds comfort with a black man names Pedrus.

Sandra showed great strength throughout the movie as the movie had highs and lows from fun or intense moments to feeling the sad emotions. It was presented in such a way that the audience could feel what was going on in many scenes. The acting was great with the facial expressions as all of the actors in the movie assumed their character.

In a nutshell, Polygenic Inheritance is when in nature and in the natural occurrences of things, the genes mutate and adapt themselves to form the dominant ancestral trait. Somewhere along the bloodlines of Sandra Laing's parents, is 'Black' blood - (well we all know that a lot of the white slave masters raped a lot of the young Black female slaves). Sandra Laing's story is that she was light skinned Black female born to white South African parents during apartheid. Her parents saw her & brought her up as white and even got the South African government to reclassify Sandra as white, but the rest of South Africa saw Sandra as Black.

The results is a confused young woman who tries to make her life easier and find that 'sense of belonging' within Black South Africa. Against the wishes of her parents, Sandra chooses to identify herself with Black South Africa during Apartheid. Sandra suffered at the hands of the authorities, the communities and her family & this her story.

It's a tear jerker, so don't watch it on your commute to work like I did or people'll be staring at you.

The movie doesn't make much of an ordeal about the 'reclassification case' and is absent from DNA testing, but I'm not convinced that the mother didn't stray - with all those 'handsome' young black male studs as servants around whose to say different in apartheid times when peoples lives & jobs are at stake? If slave masters got away with raping black slave girls who is going to oppose a white women in charge during apartheid - which is just a fancy word that has similar connotations as the black slave trade did.

Sandra is also a middle child. Sandra also had siblings - 2 brothers. The eldest was white, but the youngest also had Polygenic Inheritance, but it appears that he 'accepted' his 'whiteness'.

One things for sure, when it comes to the natural order of 'genetics', it's a mystery as to how some things are a bit 'hit & miss'. It is also generally accepted that some thing may miss a generation or two.

I just saw this movie the acting was superb and genuine,Sophie Okonedo should have been nominated for another Oscar for her performance,the hurt resonating from this movie was a shocker especially when your family turns against you because of a inhumane system of law,Sam Neill played his part well too well his character was mean and bigoted and hypocritical,the real Sandra Laing gets much respect from me to persevere the way she did during her hardship!!Sandra is a Black Woman who born into a white family that was not her fault but the SOUTH AFRIKAANER gov. ridiculed her and her family causing a rift that won't heal anytime soon for her.

I had never heard this true story before and wont go into what others on here have said about the story, but this is a well made movie. Sophie Okonedo acts well although she does not look much like the real Sandra Laing and in fact was too old to play her in her teens. Then again neither does Sam Neil look like the real Dad. However the acting is all very convincing especially the young actress playing Sandra in her early years. But none of this matters as much as this story needing to be told. The story shows how idiotic prejudices are based on color in particular.