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Skin

Play trailer Poster for Skin PG-13 2008 1h 47m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 63 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo) is markedly different from her parents. Born in 1950s South Africa during the height of apartheid, Sandra, who looks like a light-skinned black girl, has been confirmed as the biological daughter of her mother (Alice Krige) and father (Sam Neill) -- who are both white. But in her racially divided homeland, where the government does not know how to identify her, she faces racism at school and struggles to be accepted and understood by her own family.
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Skin

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Critics Consensus

Sophie Okonedo, Sam Neill, and Alice Krige do wonderful work in Skin, delivering performances whose strength is underlined by the incredible real-life events upon which the movie is based.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online Sophie Okonedo beautifully portrays Laing as a confused and scared young woman who's forced to choose a color line, but not without her share of heartache and pain. Rated: A Sep 12, 2017 Full Review Giles Hardie Sydney Morning Herald While it's important we never forget the horrendous evils of humanities past, Skin is sadly one social studies class too many. Rated: 2.5/5 Aug 8, 2010 Full Review David Stratton At the Movies (Australia) Performances are impeccable, and location shooting in South Africa adds to the power of an impressive true story. Rated: 4/5 Jul 21, 2010 Full Review Kate Rodger Newshub (NZ) For a story steeped in such personal and cultural drama, the telling of it was strangely the opposite, keeping the audience at a distance and robbing the story, one really worth telling, of impact. Rated: 2.5/5 Sep 12, 2019 Full Review Kelly Jane Torrance Washington Times There's something of a happy ending to this tortuous tale, but it's not completely satisfying. Rated: 2/4 Dec 1, 2018 Full Review S. Jhoanna Robledo Common Sense Media Intense family drama about race, identity during apartheid. Rated: 3/5 Feb 17, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Beautiful movie Great movie Great movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/13/20 Full Review Audience Member An excellent film, which is really very tragic and the tragedy of Sandra and her parents, as well as the various players, makes for a very realistic portrayel of a true story and the terrible system of apartheid that is now no more , thank goodness. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Anthony Fabian directed this powerful true story with great performances from the three leads. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Heartbreaking story of a coloured girl with white parents who grew up in South Africa during the 1950's. It shows the deeply flawed system of apartheid and the pain it caused to this family. Definitely a must-see to all South Africans. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member A shocking but moving story of the terrible times in South Africa. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member This was a very good film. It is based on a true story, so that made it all the more touching. I can only imagine this family's struggle in raising such a child. But even more, Sandra's pain in growing up in such a world and never feeling like she belonged. Sophie Okenedo did an excellent job in portraying Sandra. She is such a wonderful actress. Worth seeing. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Skin

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Cast & Crew

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Anthony Fabian

Director

Sophie Okonedo

Sandra Laing

Sam Neill

Abraham Laing

Alice Krige

Sannie Laing

Tony Kgoroge

Petrus Zwane

Ella Ramangwane

Young Sandra

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Skin

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Movie Info

Synopsis Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo) is markedly different from her parents. Born in 1950s South Africa during the height of apartheid, Sandra, who looks like a light-skinned black girl, has been confirmed as the biological daughter of her mother (Alice Krige) and father (Sam Neill) -- who are both white. But in her racially divided homeland, where the government does not know how to identify her, she faces racism at school and struggles to be accepted and understood by her own family.
Director
Anthony Fabian
Producer
Anthony Fabian, Genevieve Hofmeyr, Margaret Matheson
Screenwriter
Helen Crawley, Jessie Keyt, Helena Kriel
Production Co
Moonlighting, Bard Entertainments Ltd. [gb]
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic Material|Some Violence|Sexuality)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 22, 2016
Runtime
1h 47m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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