Movie Review- Skin

Skin tells the true story of Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), a brown-skinned girl born to white parents in South Africa during the apartheid-era. Sandra's father, Abraham, played by Sam Neill, is racist and does everything in his power to make sure that Sandra is classified as a white citizen. His attempts are in vain as she decides to leave her family with with her black boyfriend. The movie follows Sandra's life from the time she is a young child through her adult years.

The acting in the movie definitely could have been better. Sandra Lainge as a teenager (played by Okonedo) is not believable. Okonedo is clearly at least thirty years old, and this takes away from the audience's ability to relate to Sandra as a teenager. Sam Neill does an excellent job of playing a racist South African who can't separate his political beliefs from his own family.

Sandra's story itself is compelling, and one that I had never heard about. It shows how horribly black people were treated in South Africa even near the end of the 20th century. For this reason alone, I think that this movie needed to be made.

I would not discourage you from seeing this movie because I think the story is a very important one. However, I would warn you not to expect too much from the acting. Skin