Movie Review: Invictus

Jimenez 1

Name: Perla Jimenez

Title of Movie: Invictus

Film Setting: South Africa

Actual Filming Location: Cape Town, Western Cape, Johannesburg, Gauteng, Robben Island, South Africa

Reference: www.imdb.com

Movie Review: Invictus

            Invictus is a movie that was directed by Clint Eastwood and released in 2009. From mains actors including Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, Invictus is a movie that truly captivated me because the storyline was quite easy for me to connect to in terms of feeling connected to what happened in South Africa by my experience of being in South Africa this past summer.  This movie captures the essence of South Africans and their ultimate struggle of getting back on track after the apartheid.  Invictus depicts a man’s urge and heart to ultimately unite South Africa and bring it back to shape and restore South Africa’s heart. 

            Invictus has key A-List actors; Morgan Freeman plays the President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, and Matt Damon plays Francois Pienaar, the captain of South Africa’s rugby team the Springboks. Invictus takes place during the fall of the apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s freedom from his imprisonment.  As soon as Mandela comes out of prison, he runs for President and wins.  During all this, the apartheid movement came to an end and the Rugby World’s Cup was being hosted in South Africa.  Mandela’s initiative desire was to ultimately unite all the people of South Africa, black and white, through the world of sports by using the Springboks.  This movie had a strong message and showed a lot of how South Africa was really affected by the apartheid and how Mandela really wanted to bring South Africa together and become united as one.  Mandela reached out to the captain of the Springboks and basically, asked for the impossible to become possible and try and win the Rugby World Cup and unite the divided South Africa.  The Springboks were not thee best team and they were going up against the best New Zealand All-Blacks. Mandela really relied and put faith and hope in Pienaar to become a leader and pull the team together and make a bold statement by working with Mandela on his plan.

Jimenez 2

            Invictus really relates to this course and what we have learned and are currently learning.  Our course is based on learning about international disputes and territory and history of foreign cultures etc.  We have learned about South Africa and how many Africans were affected by the Apartheid.  Invictus takes place during the after fall of the Apartheid and the freedom of Nelson Mandela.  The apartheid completely divided and separated South Africa.  Many South Africans were emotionally and physically damaged by the apartheid. Invictus represents Mandela’s effort in wanting to truly restore South Africa. 

            Another way Invictus relates to our course is it shows the way South Africa has been damaged and how it is/was considered a “fallen state”.  In our required readings of the books by Parenti and Goldstein, Africa has been a topic of both books and its history of being a third world country.  Africa has gone through an enormous amount of turmoil within the last decades and Apartheid is by far, one of the ones that history documents tremendously and remembers vividly.

            Within the last month, a video went viral about Africa called KONY 2012.  The online video was about Joseph Kony and his LRA army growth in Uganda.  All this has tied into was we have been discussing in class about Africa and it’s condition of wars, poverty, and corruption due to lack of strong government.  Africa has been a country that’s always had issues and in class, we have discussed many of them including wars, movements, poverty, and more.

            I chose this movie because South Africa is a topic that’s very personal to me because like I previously stated, I went to South Africa this past summer and I learned about the apartheid in Cape Town and in Johannesburg.  I had seminars I was required to attend and in those seminars, I learned everything we’re currently learning and discussing about the apartheid and South Africa in general.  There’s nothing quite like being to the land of South Africa, that has such great history and has immense sentimental value and meaning to me.  Invictus was a great movie because it captures South Africa at it’s best in history and depicts the after life of the apartheid.   

Jimenez 3

               From the wars, to lack of resources for health, to the poverty, to the infrastructure of the government, South Africa has gone through a lot and the people in South Africa have told their stories throughout the decades.  I really enjoyed the film and it was everything I expected.  Invictus did a well job of portraying the affect of the apartheid on Africans and how it truly broke the people of South Africa and separated the people completely. At first, I thought the movie was going to be more of a documentary and not that interesting of a storyline, but with the opening of the film, showing the release of Nelson Mandela, caught my attention.  Throughout the movie, the storyline was inspiring and moving and gave me a sense of inspiration.  South Africa is a beautiful place and the people there are even more beautiful with their strong and amazing spirits that I had the chance to interact with.