Film Review of Invictus

1. Who was your favorite character?

My favorite character was Francois Pienaar, I really liked the interpretation that Matt Damon made about him. In my opinion, this character represents the paradigm shift that Nelson Mandela sought to generate in South Africa. I liked the way he went internalizing the ethical and moral principles that Mandela transmitted to him and then replicate it in the areas of his life, both in sports and personal. In addition to the reflections he had after meeting him, for example in the scene where they are in Robben Island and knows the cell where Mandela lived for years. I really liked his reintrospection and that he was able to open his eyes to a reality that he did not perceive.

2. How does the film show Nelson Mandela?

In the film the figure of Nelson Mandela is portrayed as that of a hero and martyr. They show the image of a man deeply reflective, tolerant and capable of forgiving despite everything he suffered. Someone who overcame hatred between ethnic groups and who urgently sought unity through nonviolence. In my opinion, the figure of Mandela is exalted in this film and he gave me the impression that he was an irreproachable man, someone to be listened to and followed, a man worthy of admiration.

3. How does this film compare to the other films?

This film is very different from all the ones we analyzed in the course. Without a doubt it is the one that I liked least because it deals with the Apartheid issue from a very vague perspective, focusing exclusively on rugby as the means of unity and practically as the solution to the racial conflict. The film makes little emphasis on the harshness of the conflict and at the end under the protection of the purest style of Hollywood shows a happy ending, as if all the problems had been solved. It has a oneiric character and does not give a good overview of the reality lived during apartheid, it is a living representation of what creative industries and their functions are capable of with commercial capital.

Obviously, the film is entertaining and involving because its producers are experts, but it lacks criticism and the reflexive sense that we could experiment with the other films discussed in this course.