Kalahari

If only more movies were made to this standard. I saw this movie in the theatre when it first came out, and it was one of the first videotapes I bought. The photography is beautiful. The actors, especially Sarel Bok, are great. I liked that Nonnie became the main character in the movie. The combination of the books A Story Like the Wind and A Far Off Place is seamless in this movie treatment. And the translation from book to screen is near perfect. The spirit of the stories is maintained. The children I have watched this movie with have thoroughly enjoyed it, and we have had very interesting discussions on the themes of protecting wildlife, the environment and the qualities necessary to persevere when faced with life's difficulties and choices.

or comfortable .or classic children film , ignoring the expectations of the young public. because it is one of sweet stories about brave young people, generous bushiman, noble revenge and adventure in clean style. and the only good thing remains the cast and its effort to save a too generous script in idyllic perspective about the survive.

This movie about the struggles of these young people in a hostile environment, not knowing who to trust, and learning to know and trust themselves and each other, truly touched me. I have the tape and it is one that I enjoy watching again and again. Several observers have indicated that "A Far Off Place" is a poor re-make of the Australian-set "Walk-About". If they had paid attention to the writing credits, they would have found that "Walk-About" was based on the novel of the same name by James Vance Marshall. "A Far Off Place" is based on two novels by Laurens van der Post: "A Story of the Wind" and "A Far Off Place". Van der Post was by far the more acclaimed author. Several reviewers of both movies have commented on the animal death scenes. In this movie, in the Kalahari, the unanswered question I have wondered about is; what happened to Nonni's dog?

There are so many things I love about this movie. The score is wonderful, and the actors reveal human depth without dragging us through tiresome dialogue. They learn compassion, selflessness, and perseverance. Even though the plot starts out familiar; two kids at odds with each other, on their own, the film doesn't fall into a rut. instead it presents a refreshing uniqueness with it's quality. It inspires without trying too hard, something most movies fail at horribly. I'm surprised this film is so obscure, but considering how good it is, maybe it isn't.

A Far Off Place is indeed an excellent film. The main reason for this is the characters, the character of Nonnie Parker (Reese Witherspoon) in particular.

Reese's character of Vanessa Lutz in "Freeway" was, like the rest of the movie, one of Matthew Bright's bad acid-trips. The character of Nonnie Parker, however, is portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in such a way that Nonnie takes on a life of her own. She doesn't say much, we don't know much about her, yet for some reason, she seems as real as you and me. If you're really into the movie, you might even fall in love with her.

Reese Witherspoon has portrayed several different types of characters, so it's doubtful we'll ever know what she's like off-screen. I would hope, however, that she's just like Nonnie Parker.