Goodbye Bafana

Director: Billie August

Starring: Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert, Diane Kruger, Shiloh Henderson

Based on a true story, Goodbye Bafana is a truly heart-wrenching tale encapsulating the plight of Nelson Mandela, (played by Dennis Haysbert [24, Jarhead]) during 1968, his time in prison. To play such an eminent leader is a big ask, but Haysbert carries it off to perfection, despite the growing tendency for the direction to be focussed on the role of others.

The main character is not the future president himself, but instead the film focuses upon one of the men who guarded him at the time; Goodbye Bafana shows the transformation of this man, James Gregory, played by Joseph Fiennes [Shakespeare in Love] from racist to sympathiser. The film is the ‘big-screen’ version of Gregory’s own memoirs of the time.

To this extent, any of those who hold a deep interest in South Africa’s political situation wouldn’t necessarily learn anything new, since the eminent focus is put upon the personal relationship between the two men. This is not to suggest that politics is apposite, however, since the relationship foreshadows the end of the Apartheid, echoing Gregory’s disillusionment with the current system.

Winner of the Peace Film Award and nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival, Goodbye Bafana is a thought provoking and inspirational story, highlighting Gregory’s dilemma of choosing between the improvement of his social standing – as demanded by his wife, played by Diane Kruger (Troy, National Tresaure) – or whether he should pursue his own beliefs aroused from his growing friendship with Mandela.

Goodbye Bafana requires a refined taste, but is a warming tale depicting the history on Robben Island. Few can deny the importance of the events surrounding the tale, and brought to the audience’s attention in such a striking fashion, it is a remarkable film which deserves recognition.

Ben Sparshot