Kalahari

I saw "A Far Off Place" in the theaters. At the time, I wasn't familiar with Reese Witherspoon. When I was reading about her a few years later, I was a little surprised to find out that the girl in "A Far Off Place" was her. "AFOP" might teach you all that you need to know about poaching. It portrays Nonnie Parker (Witherspoon) and Harry Winslow (Ethan Embry) having to flee into the Kalahari with guide Xhabbo (Sarel Bok) after their camp gets attacked by poachers. Throughout the trip across the desert, the three of them not only get to know each other, but get a feel for the land. This is one movie that you're sure to like.

This story has so much knowledge and truth behind it, it's amazing. Reese is very good in this movie, and it's one of her best films ever. She is amazing & she is smart in this movie. Staying strong and surviving is harder than TV shows, and this movie teaches us so much. That friends and family is more important than anything, and we can make it through difficult times if we just stick together and stay strong. This film is great, and I respect Reese alot more than what I already did now. She should be proud to have portrayed such an emotional and well-rounded role. I'm sure she is proud. This film is great, the acting is cool, and it's emotional. But it's good family fun, or maybe just fun for the Reese fanatic like me.

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.

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.

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?