A Dry White Season (1989)

June 27, 2024 5:25 PM

A white middle class South African suburbanite with no interest in politics agrees to help his black gardener find his jailed son. His investigation opens his eyes to the horrors committed by the secret police and turns him into a target.

Currently available on Pluto as well as a few paid services.

Directed by Euzhan Palcy.

Written by André P. Brink, Colin Welland, and Euzhan Palcy.

Starring Donald Sutherland, Janet Suzman, Zakes Mokae.

posted by bunderful (3 comments total)

“Like "A World Apart" and "Cry Freedom," the movie concentrates on a central character who is white (because the movie could not have been financed with a black hero), but "A Dry White Season" has much more of the South African black experience in it than the other two films.” - Ebert

“Although Andre Brink's novel, upon which the film is based, concentrates on Ben du Toit and his growing awareness of the plight of black South Africans, ''A Dry White Season'' divides its attention more or less evenly between the story's black and white characters. It divides itself so evenly, in fact, that Miss Palcy regularly cuts from scenes of black characters being abused by policemen of the Special Branch to complacent whites dandling babies and enjoying the sunshine. This would seem glib and would rob the story of a clear focus if Miss Palcy did not also make it so powerful. ''Blacks lead double lives -one you see and one you don't,'' remarks a white character as a black maid serving drinks to her white employers goes entirely unnoticed.” NYT

This movie was the first movie directed by a Black woman to be produced by a major U.S. studio (MGM).

It was initially banned by South African censors.

Awards:
Marlon Brando - Oscar nomination, Best Supporting Actor
Marlon Brando - Best Actor, Tokyo Film Festival
Euzhan Palcy - Orson Welles Award
posted by bunderful at 6:06 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]

Pluto crapped out on me after the first few minutes, and I then remembered that Pluto has done this the last several times I tried to watch anything.

I’ll have to keep an eye out for this to pop up on another platform.
posted by bunderful at 6:08 PM on June 27

I know it sucks that a film made in 1989 had to be recentered around white people for commercial reasons, but it further sucks that NYT in 1989 was straight up identifying the director of a feature film as "Miss." Jeez Louise, you think things don't change that much, and then.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:19 AM on June 30