A World Apart (1988)

Lack of good storyline.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I saw this film in 1988 when it first came out. I was looking forward to seeing it on DVD but I must confess I was very disappointed. I found it excessively slow, with few dialogues, and in fact, plain boring. It should be at least 1/2 hr shorter.True, there are moments of real poignancy in "A world apart" and Jodhi May is an excellent actress but there just doesn't seem to be much going on for most of half the film. Maybe the fact that apartheid has been defeated and that so much has happened in S. Africa since makes it less momentous. For anyone interested in S. Africa, I recommend watching "Cry Freedom", "A white dry season" or even "The power of one" instead. These films at least seek to explain their characters involvement with the anti-apartheid movement. In "A world apart", there's no such character growth so far as the mother is concerned. Her involvement has to be taken for granted.

I enjoyed the movie tremendously.. In America, in Florida, especially apartheid is strong movement in every aspect of living.. It is strong in choices of housing,church,employment,even chosing your mate..I have felt the hate of apartheid even in my own family, because I had a handicap and health problems, and was mistreated as a slave for 30 years until now I am labeled as mentally ill but I feel like a POW, a political prisoner for standing up for my own unique, individual and individual beliefs that all human beings should be treated with dignity, respect and have a right to employment with a descent wage and a right to be free of torture or torment or abuse for differing from the community or world society or whoever makes the big decisions in the world about who is considered a human being which is usually someone who is bad and one who believes in hate and control rather than freedom and love and light.. I myself feel and live like Diana Roth over here even though the label on me is mentally ill.. I know hate and lived with it even in my own mother's womb and have tasted it in the air here in america ever since I landed in this country.. God's love only helped me survived this cruel, inhumane and hateful society against people who stand for truth, honest, and goodness.and most of all love for all people..not some...

Jodhi May deserved an Oscar for her work. All told, this is one of the finest coming-of-age stories I've ever seen filmed. And its ending is one of the saddest and most powerful ever - alongside "At Play in the Fields of the Lord."

I saw this film years ago, and some of it's scenes still haunts me. The story is set in South Africa and it's about a family which will be eventually destroyed by the problems there. The then very young Jothi May it quiet impressive in her debut and Barbara Hershey is equally good.