Not the best review - The bang bang club

1. In general, what did you like and dislike about the film?

>What I really liked about this is that it shows a new reality that is the life of the photographers during the apartheid (or at least by the end of it). The quality of the film is awesome, the fireshoots and the acting by the protagonists and the people that are nearby them during the manifestations and the riots.

On the opposite side I didn't understand the time lapse in the film because it's not explicit at all. But the major downside are the protagonists, I don't get some of their motives and the way they act towards what's a bad thing and the money.


2.  How does the film make you think about your future role as journalists and film makers/producers/creators/directors?

>It hits me hard to be honest. The movie in the first place talked about the passion of being a Photographer and how you must risk a lot to gain a lot. To me passion is what make things interesting and during the movie it's shown that most of the protagonists are awful.

But I don't blame them, I don't think that anyone wants to be a bad person, I think that they get used to the violence and they have to endure themselves in order to hold up. It's not their job at all to help the people directly, yes, you may try something out if it is safe, but sometimes you can't save everyone. I'm afraid to become like them.

3.  In this film, and various of the other films, we have seen how black South Africans went to vote massively in April 1994 to seal the downfall of the apartheid system with the electoral triumph of Nelson Mandela and the ANC, now more than 20 years later, we see many of the problems originated during the apartheid are still present such as land inequality, class inequality, unemployment, etc.

How have the dreams from the anti-apartheid struggle played out since the ANC has been in power? (Remember to use the article South Africa’s Coming Two-Party System)

>The whole problems are the Politics. After the ANC tooked the power it was good and bad at the same time. Some of the new rules applied like the Freedom Charter that wanted to help the people. But not everything was good, the whole part of the economic system was the center of the country and even with that there was corruption.

So at the end of the day they changed the system with the focus on the economy and not the social aspect, which is bad in my opinion. Injustice is still there for some people in every way.

Not the best review - Cry Freedom

 1. Who was your favorite character from the film? Why?

>To be honest , I really liked both of the protagonists. Donald Woods (played by Kevin Kline) is an excelent character that gets a change in the movie. He is the editor a newspaper in South Africa during the Apartheid. If we compare him with other men he is not shown as a bad guy but neither the good one. Then he meets Steve Biko and the story unfolds. I really like that he can understand different lives and tries his best to be part of the help against the apartheid and the truth. He is a likeable character that represents what a journalist should be.

On the other hand we have Steve Biko (Played by Denzel Washington) , he is an activist anti apartheid that was a pacifist. Steve changes Donald for good, he teaches him about what is not shown by the white man, what apartheid is about to black people and the privileges that the white man has. He was a wise man that can analyze and comprehend the situation without feeling anger nor wrath against the whites.

2. What was your favorite scene from the film? Why?

>I really liked when Donald tries to escape. The whole segment is awesome. The way the plan was executed, how he tries to change his behavour and his appareance , the tension in the air that is reinforced with the music. At the same time we get to see his family trying to convince the police and it's a wonderful scene. We get to see how hurtful it is for the family and the struggle to get to the embassy.

3. How does the film differ from the other films? Use the article from The Guardian to help you

>In this movie it shown that the protagonists tries another way to fight , and that is without weapons. I could mention that Biko was part of the Black People's Convention that he founded. Another thing that i could point out is that in this film it is shown people (natives) not working in usual jobs and they were not tolerated by the white people in "normal" ones.
This film is not about any big milestone in the Apartheid at all (Like mandela's ones) or terrorism against the opressive goverment or soldiers, it's about what a normal man can do with ideas.