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Red Dust (2004)

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23:35-01:25 Mon 3rd Aug 2009 110m
BBC1

Synopsis

The continuing injustices of post-apartheid South Africa are laid bare in this impressive feature debut from British director Tom Hooper. Based on the novel by Gillian Slovo (whose sister Shawn scripted the semi-autobiographical anti-apartheid movie A World Apart), the handsomely shot drama offers a fictionalised account of the country's real-life legal amnesty system that enabled soldiers and policemen to be officially absolved of apartheid-era crimes. While Jamie Bartlett is suitably repugnant as the brutal cop trying to save his skin, it's the anguish of his former victim, played by Dirty Pretty Things star Chiwetel Ejiofor, that really emphasises the horror of these events. Assisted by tenacious lawyer Hilary Swank, Ejiofor's ANC politician confronts his torturer 14 years after his ordeal, and his performance gives the story genuine emotional impact. Though the film is not quite as powerful as the subject matter demands, it's still a well-composed history lesson and compelling viewing.