Goodbye Bafana
By Mal Simons, Blockbuster.co.uk

Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert and Diane Kruger star in this terrific film about the remarkable and unlikely ‘friendship’ that grew between Nelson Mandela and James Gregory, the Prison Guard given the job of both spying and guarding the future South African President. Based on the book written by Gregory himself, Goodbye Bafana is a glimpse into South Africa’s dark history.

James Gregory (Joseph Fiennes), was a former white farm boy whose best friend Bafana was a black man in South Africa. Away from other white people, the two boys played together through their childhood and Gregory learnt the native language and customs. The friends parted ways when Gregory was a teenager and never met again. Gregory eventually found himself working for the South African Prison Service where he witnessed many atrocities against black people but said and did nothing. He did have the remarkable job however of guarding Nelson Mandela for almost twenty years.

By the time the film begins, Gregory has been posted to Robben Island, a penal colony with his wife Gloria (Diane Kruger) and his young family. Gloria sees this new posting as a great opportunity for advancement and works behind the scenes in her job as a hair stylist to get her husband moved up the ranks and brought to the attention of his superiors. Like most white South Africans of the time, she is completely oblivious and uninterested in the plight of the black population.

As one of the only white people who can speak the local African language, James Gregory is promoted to the position of ‘Chief Censor’ and give him the official job of checking, censoring and editing letters sent through to the inmates – with inmates only allowed a letter or a visit once every six months. Secretly however, he is given a direct line to a Major in the security services and instructed to spy on ANC leader and political prisoner Nelson Mandela.

Initially as a loyal officer, Gregory doesn’t have a problem with his new role and takes to the position with real zeal. Over time however, he becomes increasingly disillusioned with the system in South Africa and increasingly frustrated with his racist superiors and fellow officers as he spends more and more time with Mandela and gets a glimpse of the great man.

A fantastic film that transports the audience back to the dark days of Apartheid, Goodbye Bafana features brilliant performances from both Fiennes and Haysbert. Mandela comes across as exactly as you would expect and Fiennes also does a brilliant job of expressing Gregory’s guilt at passing information that led to the murder of innocent people while Krueger puts in yet another solid performance as someone completely oblivious to the unfair nature of her own county.

All in all a terrific film that is highly recommended to rent – add to your list now.