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Boesman & Lena

Released Nov 3, 2000 1h 30m Drama List
50% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Carrying bottles, pots, wire, twigs around their shoulders and a few pieces of clothing, Boesman and Lena are forced to roam dusty clay roadways in search of shelter and a better existence. Driven from their shanty once again by the white man, they walk the South African Cape Flats, a place they've been many times before, in a life they've been forced to live before. A stranger appears and transforms the lives of this desperate couple who find their state basically the same, yet changed.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: B Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 19, 2002 Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine Rated: 2/5 Apr 30, 2001 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 2/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com John Berry's last film, before he passed away, contains moving performances from Angela Bassett and Danny Glover. Rated: 4/5 Nov 21, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jun 18, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (5) audience reviews
Audience Member The play that this film is based off of has got to be something special. There is obviously a ton of significant commentary here, and the actors seem quite capable, but this film seems to forget that it's a film and not a stage play. Simply putting a camera on a stage script doesn't make a good film. The few sequences done in the film that can't be done on a stage (the flashbacks) are forced and out of place. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member I hate to rate a movie so low when both stars are so obviously talented, and when the film has so much to say. Still, possibly the dullest film I've seen in 10 years. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member This reminds me off a play called "Waiting for Godot" because it seems like this two also are waiting for something that never will come. This is also about two hobos. A man and a woman is force from their house and they walk to they come to a place that looks like they can spend a night or two. They are stuck with either and don`t even seemed like either. The fight like all the time and she remembers a time then all was good. A man comes by that don`t speak the same language. The woman makes him stay because she really want someone else to talk too. It takes place somewere in Africa. Don`t really like this movie because i didn`t get it. But the actors were very good. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Someone bought this for me, and as much as I tried, I couldn't get interested in it at all. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Glover draws upon all of his acting experience, and also his role as Mandela, to provide an outstanding performance. This is wonderful, uplifiting and very sad. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Boesman & Lena

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Cast & Crew

The King Is Alive 60% 58% The King Is Alive Gerry 61% 60% Gerry Solomon and Gaenor 70% 81% Solomon and Gaenor All the Pretty Horses 32% 42% All the Pretty Horses Ratcatcher 87% 86% Ratcatcher Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Carrying bottles, pots, wire, twigs around their shoulders and a few pieces of clothing, Boesman and Lena are forced to roam dusty clay roadways in search of shelter and a better existence. Driven from their shanty once again by the white man, they walk the South African Cape Flats, a place they've been many times before, in a life they've been forced to live before. A stranger appears and transforms the lives of this desperate couple who find their state basically the same, yet changed.
Director
John Berry
Producer
François Ivernel, Pierre Rissient
Screenwriter
John Berry, Athol Fugard
Distributor
Pathé Films, Kino Pictures
Production Co
Pathe Image, Primedia Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 3, 2000, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Jun 11, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.1K
Runtime
1h 30m
Sound Mix
Surround