''Red Dust'' is a 2004 British drama film starring

Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1992 ...

and

Chiwetel Ejiofor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, an NAACP Image Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awa ...

and directed by

Tom Hooper Thomas George Hooper (born 5 October 1972)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005''. 5d: 2485. is a British-Australian filmmaker. Hooper began making short films as a teenager and had his first professional short, ...

. The story, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, is based on the novel ''Red Dust'' by

Gillian Slovo Gillian Slovo (born 15 March 1952) is a South African-born writer who lives in the UK. She was a recipient of the Golden PEN Award. Early life and education Gillian Slovo was born on 15 March 1952 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her family moved ...

. The film was predominantly shot on location in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

, specifically in the town of

Graaff Reinet Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province. It is also the sixth-oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The town was t ...

Plot

Sarah Barcant (

), a white lawyer in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

who grew up in

, returns to her childhood home to represent Alex Mpondo (

), a Black South African politician who was tortured during

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. Under the post apartheid Truth and Reconciliation terms, the whole truth must come out. As it is, under duress Mpodo had identified one of his underground comrades, Steve Sizela, to the apartheid authorities. But he also confirms that he kept a much more important secret – a list of new recruits. This is still where he left it buried. The full truth now emerges. Dirk Hendricks (

Jamie Bartlett James Bartlett (9 July 1966 – 23 May 2022) was a British-born South African actor best known for his role as the wicked puppet master, David Genaro, in '' Rhythm City'' and his theatre work. Career Television Bartlett was a well-known South ...

), the local policeman, admits Sizela was killed by his boss, Piet Muller ( Ian Roberts) and that much of the torture was carried out at a ranch rather than at the police station – thus confirming Alex's apparently false memories of a 'dirt floor' and a water tap in the corridor. Visiting the ranch, Alex puts details together. Dirk admits where he buried Steve Sizela. The bones are found and dug from the ground; Mpondo decides to allow amnesty as the whole truth has been said. Muller, who denied the charges and pleaded not guilty, ironically applies for amnesty himself, infuriating members of the Black South African community. Parallel with this story is Barcant's confrontation with her own past. She was arrested as a teenager for having a black boyfriend, which was breaking the apartheid laws. She got out of custody after one night, thanks to Ben Hoffman, a white lawyer who has worked all of his life against apartheid and is a strong believer in 'Truth and Reconciliation'. Sarah Barcant is there because she owes him a debt, and he is now too weak to take the case himself. He sees the outcome as positive.

Cast

as Sarah Barcant *

as Alex Mpondo *

as Dirk Hendricks * Ian Roberts as Piet Müller *

Nomhle Nkonyeni Nomhle Nkonyeni (9 April 1942 – 10 July 2019) was a South African actress who has appeared in television series such as ''Mzansi'', ''Tsha Tsha'' and the 2007 mini-series ''Society'', as well as feature films such as '' Of Good Report'' (2013) ...

as Mrs. Sizela *

Marius Weyers Marius Weyers (born 3 February 1945, in Johannesburg) is a South African actor. He lives with his wife Yvette, an artist in her own right, in Rooi-Els in the Western Cape. He received international attention playing Andrew Steyn, a bumbling s ...

as Ben Hoffman

References

External links

* * 2000s English-language films 2004 directorial debut films 2004 drama films 2004 films Apartheid films BBC Film films British drama films English-language South African films Films based on South African novels Films directed by Tom Hooper Films set in South Africa Films shot in the Eastern Cape Films with screenplays by Troy Kennedy Martin South African drama films Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa) 2000s British films {{2000s-drama-film-stub