Recommend "Red Dust" a film on Truth and Reconciliation in SA

This just came out in Japan, but it seems to be a 2004 production.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388364/

First, I have to admit strong disappointment with the casting. Hillary Swanks's less than stellar acting as a South African born and raised character (working in NY) with with a pure American accent and her New York lawyer fashion strutting through the dusty poor ghettos are disappointing because this could have been a much more authentic production. Why didn't they cast a S.African actress?

The male lead, Chiwetel Ejiofor apparently is Nigerian. I thought his acting was compelling. But why not cast a S. African actor? I can't tell the difference, but I'm sure persons familiar with African variations of English could.

That put aside, this is a valuable film to watch if only for thinking about the meaning of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for certain politically motivated crimes perpetrated during Apartheid times in South Africa. In this case, a police officer is being tried for torture and murder of a black detainee, and he asks for amnesty through the commission.

Apparently, only about 800 accused persons out of over 7000 were actually granted amnesty as a result of the trials by coming clean with their confessions. The conflict between the need to forgive and forget, and the need to do justice to perpetrators must have been immense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_and_Reconciliation_Commission_(South_Africa)


I think I had heard of the commission, but to see in a film how that actually plays out makes me respect the courage of the ANC leaders such as Mandela and Archbishop Tutu. It is not easy to overturn a system of human rights abuse, and then for the victors to forgive those who abused them rather than punish. For a country to move on, that seems to be the high road.

I'd like to share the powerful quote from Tutu that comes at the end of the movie:

Having looked the beast in the eye,
having asked and received forgiveness...

Let us shut the door on the past,
not to forget it,
but to allow it not to imprison us.

Archbishop Tutu