Skin (2008)

How sad is this?

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Admirable film.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Can two white-looking people produce a darker-skinned baby?Anthony Fabian's "Skin" tells the fascinating story of Sandra Laing, a black South African woman who was born to white Afrikaner parents during apartheid in South Africa.Growing up, Sandra appears to have had a happy childhood. She does not appear to think she is different from her parents or older brother, who is also white; she resembles her family a great deal except for her skin color. When she is older, her parents send her and her brother to an exclusive school, for whites only of course. There, Sandra is finally aware that she is different. There are stares, mockery, whispers, and the assumption she does not now where Swaziland is (you'll understand this after you see the film).Her battles have just begun. She is constantly classified, unclassified, reclassified as white and colored, but Sandra has always felt white. Is she white? To someone in 2013, she would appear multiracial or even racially ambiguous, but, remember folks, this is South Africa in the 1950s.Fabian casts the brilliant British actress Sophie Okenedo in the role of Sandra. She is superior in this role, not just because of her raw talent, but her mixed Jewish, Scottish, and Nigerian heritage probably allowed her to form a closer bond with Laing and project her struggles. Okenedo is joined by former "Hotel Rwanda" costar Tony Kgoroge, Sam Neill and South African actress Alice Krige, who play her parents respectively.The Laings and society must deal with the reality of Sandra's skin color because it will not go away no matter what the "papers" say. She does find some happiness with the Black South African community, but it comes at a large price. What is Sandra? Who is Sandra? It's time to ask the inevitable questions. Did Sandra's mom have an affair with a nonwhite man? Is there a such thing as the throwback gene? Were there members of her family's who were or are even passing for white? I won't spoil it for you.Whatever your thoughts are, this is a movie worth seeing. A superior cast that demonstrates what all parties had to do for...survival.

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 is the true and very sad story of a young South African, Sandra Laing. Oddly, despite having two white biological parents, she had black features and skin that made her look biracial--a SERIOUS problem in South Africa during Apartheid! And because of that, she had not only legal problems (the parents had to fight in court to have her declared 'white'--otherwise, she would have been barred from most schools) but social ones as racists wanted nothing to do with this girl. Her childhood must have been incredibly lonely...very, very lonely.As Sandra grew, her problems fitting in didn't disappear--and in some ways they got a lot worse. Her own father slowly turned against her--resenting her for her skin color and the embarrassment her let it cause him. Eventually, Sandra met a black man and fell in love--and her racist father couldn't stand her being with 'one of them'! Mom's reaction wasn't much better. Eventually Sandra ran off to Swaziland with him--hoping to escape her insane life. Unfortunately, she was captured and imprisoned for crossing the border illegally. And, in the process, she was disowned by her loving family. Eventually, her new boyfriend also leaves her, as he, too, has trouble coping with her race--she is too 'white' for him! In the end, she is feeling lost and after two decades of estrangement, Sandra goes looking for her family.All in all, this is a heartbreaking movie--particularly so because it's all based on real life people. The acting, direction and entire production is very good and it's a film that no doubt will effect you. You just can't help seeing this sad tale and not feeling terrible for poor Sandra.By the way, you do wonder why the Laing family didn't just leave South Africa. They didn't--so it's only an academic question. But their decision to remain in such a hostile environment s quite curious--as were her parents' continuing to support the Apartheid system! Crazy.Also, I looked for a picture of the real Sandra Laing and noticed that her father did NOT look the least bit like Sam Neill! Bald and dull looking--not at all a hunk-meister like Neill!!

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.