VIDEO: Trailer, Press and Reviews of SKIN

SKIN

Synopsis

Ten year-old Sandra is distinctly African looking. Her parents, Abraham and Sannie, are white Afrikaners, unaware of their black ancestry. They are shopkeepers in a remote area of the Eastern Transvaal and, despite Sandra’s mixed-race appearance, have lovingly brought her up as their ‘white’ little girl.

Sandra is sent to a boarding school in the neighbouring town of Piet Retief, where her (white) brother Leon is also studying, but parents and teachers complain that she doesn’t belong. She is examined by State officials, reclassified as ‘Coloured’, and expelled from the school. Sandra’s parents are shocked, but Abraham fights through the courts to have the classification reversed. The story becomes an international scandal and media pressure forces the law to change, so that Sandra becomes officially ‘White’ again.

By the time she is 17, Sandra realises she is never going to be accepted by the white community. She falls in love with Petrus — a black man, the local vegetable seller, and begins an illicit love affair. Abraham threatens to shoot Petrus and disown Sandra. Sannie is torn between her husband’s rage and her daughter’s predicament.

Sandra elopes with Petrus to Swaziland. Abraham alerts the police, has them arrested and put in prison. Sandra is told by the local magistrate to go home, but she refuses.

Now Sandra must live her life, for the first time, as a black woman in South Africa  — with no running water, no sanitation, and little income. She and Petrus have two children, and although she feels more at home in this community, she desperately misses her parents and yearns for a reunion.

After many more years of hardship and struggle, the chances of that reunion ever happening seem remote. But Sandra carries her father's advice with her wherever she goes: 'Never give up!'

SKIN is a story of family, forgiveness and the triumph of the human spirit.

 

 

Press and Reviews of SKIN

 

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“A measured and harrowing central performance from Sophie Okonedo...
Her anguish lingers long after the end credits roll.”
- Mike Goodridge, Screen Daily

 

 

"This great film by Anthony Fabian tells this story through the eyes of a happy girl who grows into an outsider. This isn't one of those potted stories of uplift and doesn't end quite the way we expect, although we do get to see the real Sandra Laing right at the end."

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

"Of the innumerable, untold family tragedies that followed the imposition of the racist restrictions of the apartheid regime, the story of Sandra Laing is one of the most devastating. Skin tells her story with deep compassion and, for all its starkness and tragedy, it is a work of great beauty and inspiration."

Barry Ronge, The Sunday Times (South Africa)

"The journey to racial tolerance, which some people take for granted, has not been easy and over the years many people have struggled with the idea of accepting others as equals. It is within this context that all South Africans should be happy that a movie has been made that tells this story of race and racial tolerance which, thankfully, is slowly taking root in our society ."

Edward Tsumele , The Sowetan, South Africa

"The English actress Sophie Okonedo plays Sandra from age 17 to recent times. She takes her from shy kid to young mother to mature woman, through an amazing series of travails. At each turn, things become both more absurd and more tragic. Fabian has done a superb job. It's a scarifying, haunting film; Laing's story is brutal and the film never softens that. She survived, but what a price she paid."

Paul Byrnes, The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

""We've all seen movies and TV shows based, or supposedly based, on true stories, but I can't remember the last time one of them affected me quite like the South African movie, SKIN."

Leonard Maltin's Secret's Out report  

"To get a sense of just how deep the lingering effects of institutionalized racism must run, take yourself to Anthony Fabian's Skin, a powerful and compelling drama based on a true story that still resonates."

Marshall Fine, Huffington Post reviewhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-fine/movie-review-iskini-is-de_b_33649..." title="Marshall Fine review" target="_blank">


"In the end, SKIN isn't a movie about skin at all, but the indomitability of the human spirit." - Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post review

 

"If ever there were a true-life tale that laid bare the laws of South African apartheid in all their arbitrary lunacy, it's the one dramatized in Anthony Fabian's straight-ahead biopic of Sandra Laing" - Ella Taylor, Village Voice review

 

"A South African family is divided by race." - Betsy Sharkey, LA Times review

"It isn't just the inhumanity of apartheid that's illustrated in "Skin," but the out-and-out lunacy of laws and classifications intended to keep blacks and whites apart." - Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle review

 

 

ABC Drive-Time Radio, Perth, Australia. Listener Margaret Roberts rates the film "Six out of five."

 

 

Lisa Jensen, Good Times Santa Cruz review

 

 

 

Jonathan Valdez, Encore Magazine

 

 

 

Cary Darling, Dallas News review

 

 

 

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/movies/reviews/stories/DN-skin_1106gd.State.Edition1.1c0e765.html

Ted Fry, Seattle Times review

 

 

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2010211468_mr06skin.html

Seattle Post Globe review

 

http://www.seattlepostglobe.org/2009/11/05/film-review-skin

Stars Studio report

http://starzencore.edgeboss.net/wmedia/starzencore/20091031/ss133.wvx

Eur Web review

http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur57107.cfm

The World NPR Radio Interviews with Anthony Fabian and Sandra Laing

 

 

 

 

 

AFI Dallas Interview with Anthony Fabian and Alice Krige

 

 

 

 

 

Film Forward review

http://www.film-forward.com/skin.html

KUCI Film School - podcast with Anthony Fabian

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Bruin Interview with Anthony Fabian

http://beta.dailybruin.com/articles/2009/10/29/alumnuss-film-skin-tells-about-south-africa-aparth/

Dr. Joy Review

 

http://www.drjoyreviews.com/Feature.aspx?ID=393

Entertainment Weekly review

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20317541,00.html

The Power Player Magazine

www.thepowerplayermag.com

Macon review

http://www.macon.com/240/story/898607.html

IndieWire Q&A with Anthony Fabian

http://www.indiewire.com/article/skins_anthony_fabian_for_days_afterward_i_had_a_lump_in_my_throat/

Epoch Times review

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/24519/

The 123.net Interview with Anthony Fabian

http://www.the213.net/php/article.php?id=1861

Film Journal review

http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/esearch/e3ib2e664ce05ad759c8764f0e5439df2f8#at

Giant Mag review

http://giantmag.com/articles/in-theaters/in-theaters-last-dance-for-the-king-of-pop/

Interview Magazine Interview with Anthony Fabian

 http://www.interviewmagazine.com/blogs/film/2009-10-01/south-africa-films-anthony-fabian/

Black Beat/Right On Magazine capsule review

http://www.rightonmag.com/?radiobutton=radiobutton&s=skin&x=0&y=0

My Mosaec Q&A with Anthony Fabian and Sandra Laing

http://my.mosaec.com/video/scene-heard-skin

Yahoo Japan Audio Interview with Anthony Fabian

 

http://www.hosokinema.com/skinaudio.html

The Loop review

http://www.theloop21.com/news/apartheid-poses-problem-for-white-couple-with-black-baby

Essence Interview with Sandra Laing

 

http://www.essence.com/entertainment/film/sandra_laing_judged_but_not_broken_by_co.php

Spirituality and Practice Review

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=19432" title="Spirituality and Practice review" target="_blank"> 

 http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=19432

UN Radio Interviews with Anthony Fabian and Sandra Laing

 

 

http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/84848.html

The Jewish Journal Interview with Sophie Okonedo

http://www.jewishjournal.com/film/article/jewish_actress_sophie_okonedo_explores_biracial_identity_skin_20091020/

William Gooch Sound on Sight interview with Anthony Fabian

 

http://www.soundonsight.org/interview-with-director-anthony-fabian/

Cole Smithey report

http://www.colesmithey.com/" title="Dan Person's podcast" target="_blank"> 

 http://www.colesmithey.com/

James van Maanen, Trust Movies

 

 

 

 

Huffington Post Dan Persons' podcast interview with Anthony Fabian

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-persons/emmighty-movie-podcastem_b_339267.html

Women and Hollywood Interview with Sandra Laing

http://womenandhollywood.com/2009/10/30/interview-with-sandra-laing-real-life..." title="Woman and Hollywood interview with SL" target="_blank"> 

 http://womenandhollywood.com/2009/10/30/interview-with-sandra-laing-real-life-subject-of-skin/

Good Prattle Interview with Sophie Okonedo

Ticket Stubz reiview

http://ticketstubz.blogspot.com/2009/09/skin.html" title="Ticket Stubz review" target="_blank"> 

http://ticketstubz.blogspot.com/2009/09/skin.html" title="Ticket Stubz review" target="_blank">  

http://ticketstubz.blogspot.com/2009/09/skin.html" title="Ticket Stubz review" target="_blank"> 

 http://ticketstubz.blogspot.com/2009/09/skin.html

Coming Soon review

 

 

 

Alex Roberts review

 

 

http://web.me.com/writa1/tvsoundoff/Film_Reviews/Entries/2009/10/29_Skin%2C_deep_tale_of_race_in_South_Africa.html

BV on Movies Interview with Sophie Okonedo

 

http://www.bvonmovies.com/2009/10/29/sophie-okonedo-interview-skin-movie-winnie-mandela/#at

Alternative Film Guide review

 

http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-movies/sophie-okonedo-skin/

Clutch Magazine Interview with Sophie Okonedo

 

http://clutchmagonline.com/featured-main/the-various-shades-of-sophie-okonedo/

Hollywood Go review

 

 

 

http://www.hollywoodgo.com/movie/skin-2719/

Movieline Interview with Sophie Okonedo

http://www.movieline.com/2009/11/sophie-okonedo.php

Airtalk review

http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2009/10/30/filmweek/

KPFK Interviews with Sandra Laing, Anthony Fabian and Alice Krige

feed://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/xml/pperf.xml

Backstage review

http://www.backstage.com/bso/news-and-features-features/more-than-skin-deep-1004029284.story

Contra Costa Times review

http://www.contracostatimes.com/movies-dvd/ci_13677745?nclick_check=1

Leonard Maltin review

http://leonardmaltin.com/Picks.htm

Campus Circle reivew

http://www.campuscircle.com/review.cfm?r=9786

Movie Dearest review

http://moviedearest.blogspot.com/2009/10/reverends-reviews-beneath-skin.html

An Indian persective: Anthony Fabian interview in Indian Express

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/souls-of-black/542512/3

Channel Four Television

 

 

 

 

Channel 4 Interview with Sandra Laing & Anthony Fabian

Sophie Okonedo is interviewed on GMTV, ITV

Sandra Laing: The outcast "Sandra Laing was a black baby born to white parents at the height of apartheid. The hatred, rejection and heartache she suffered at the hands of the authorities, her teachers and her family sent shock waves across the world." Chrissy Iley, Sunday Times

 

 

 

"This powerful drama tells an important story from apartheid-era South Africa with honesty and real sensitivity. And the cast makes it thoroughly gripping by never playing it safe." - Rich Cline, Contact Music

"Powerful apartheid drama with a strong script, intriguingly complex characters and terrific performances from Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill and Alice Krige." - Matthew Turner, London View

 

Johann lunch"This quietly intelligent drama, based on a true story, finds a new way of dramatising race, class and society in apartheid-era South Africa, and it boasts fine performances by Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill and Alice Krige as a family whose refusal to conform was either heroic or tragi-comic or merely dysfunctional. Or perhaps all three." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

 

"Anthony Fabian's film tells such a bizarre story it could only be based on the truth. Sophie Okonedo – herself raised by white parents – devotes herself admirably to the part." - Anthony Quinn, The Independent

 

"An apartheid story no one would screen" - UK Independent editorial by Arifa Akbar, Arts correspondent

 

"In an increasingly mixed society keen to break down barriers, shouldn’t there be more enthusiasm for diversity in film?" - UK Times editorial: Skin - the movie and the obstacle

 

Sophie Okonedo on growing up with a huge afro and a Jewish mum, her new film Skin, and why she's excited about playing Winnie Mandela
- The Guardian - Question Time: Sophie Okonedo

 

 

The Guardian Film and Music Podcast with Andrew Pulver

Interview with Anthony Fabian

Skin - BBC World Service

We review 'Skin' - the new award-winning South African movie starring Sophie Okenedo and Sam Neill. The film tells the true story of Sandra Laing who was born in Piet Retief, a small conservative town in apartheid South Africa. The newspaper columnist Hannah Pool, who is Eritrean by birth but adopted by white British parents, comes into the studio to review it for us.

Tri-Continental Film Festival - One of South Africa's first sneak previews of SKIN

 

 

"In today’s PC world it’s easy to forget the absurdities of apartheid rules, or the way they still influence how we regard each other."
- Theresa Smith, Cape Argus Tonight

 

 

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“One of the more bizarre illustrations of racial injustice under apartheid is dramatized in SKIN. An involving tale presented with polished straightforwardness, acted with conviction by Sophie Okonedo as well as Sam Neill and Alice Krige as the well-intentioned but often misguided parents.”
- Dennis Harvey, Variety

 

 

“A stirring allegory... Director Anthony Fabian's heartfelt attentions keep the picture on the right emotional track.”

- Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

 

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Reviews from Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 08

"A remarkably accomplished first feature"
Toronto Star

"This is a powerful movie. See it — but go prepared."
Metro Toronto

 

 

Reviews from AFI Fest, Los Angeles

"Director Fabian’s debut is focused, well crafted, and free of sermons. "
Screen Crave

 

"Okonedo gives an outstanding performance as a woman forced to live in two worlds under the blistering rule of Apartheid. She’s so convincing that you hang on to her every word and movements."

 

"Skin is an extraordinary movie that respects the complexity of the issues involved."

 

"..looks at the hurtful legacy of apartheid in South Africa.."

Jamati

BBC Talking Movies, Toronto Film Festival - SKIN feature

St. Louis International Film Festivalfilm-review-5

"Sophie Okonedo - most known for her roles in Hotel Rwanda and The Secret Life of Bees - delivers an exceptional performance as the elder Sandra."
Beige World

 

 

Review from Honolulu

"..a most potent depiction of racism and a South Africa not very far in the past.

Dubai International Film Festival

"Skin: Treating difficult subjects"

 

"Sophie Okonedo, who plays Laing, does a fantastic job of capturing the full spectrum of her character ."

 

"More Than Skin Deep"

 

"Of a Black Woman Born to White Parents"
Khaleej Times

 

AFI Dallas International Film Festival 2009

 

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Santa Barbara International Film Festival

"My favorite feature film pick for this year."
SBCC Film Reviews

 

Washington DC

‘Sandra’s undeserved pain—both emotional and physical—will break your heart, particularly when her eventually estranged husband declares: “Her skin is a curse.”’
- Tricia Olszewski, Washington DC City Paper

 

 

South Africa

"Skin is film-making of a very high order… there are no transcendent heroes, just people -- confused, afraid, wanting to love and be loved, caught in the web of a great evil and trying to make a go of things by their own best lights.

I cannot recall a film that captures so well the textures of SA, South Africans and life under apartheid."
- Simon Barber, Business Day

 

 

 

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Pan African Film Festival, Los Angeles -l H. Clent Bowers, The Artists' Forum

 

Seattle Film Festival Review SIFF

Almost unbearable , May 26, 2009

By Jason Eckelman

“I don't know why, exactly, this movie resonated so much with me, but it damn near killed me. I was practically hysterical when it was over, and had to sit in the theater for several minutes after the film ended so I could pull myself together enough to leave. This had the potential to be emotionally manipulative & sentimental, but, in my opinion, it was brutally honest and totally real."

SIFF Interview with composer Helene Muddiman
via skinthemovie.net