A World Apart Movie Review

One of the major frustrations about being a child is that grown-ups often fail to explain matters in which kids have a very real stake. Sometimes, as in A World Apart, a mother can't explain what's going on to her 13-year-old daughter, even when it seems as if their entire world is caving in. These are the rough lessons screenwriter Shawn Slovo learned at a young age in South Africa. When her political activist mother was assassinated in 1982, Slovo developed a fictional screenplay about their early relationship. The social ostracism and psychological harassment of this white anti-apartheid family are carefully shown from a child's perspective. While her mother copes with her private nightmares in prison, young Molly suddenly finds herself without friends or guidance. The statements in A World Apart are not as threatening as the messages in the seldom-shown A Place for Weeping, which examines the black South African experience. Still, Chris Menges’ film examines the unfairness of life in an observant, thoughtful way, and it is extremely well acted by Barbara Hershey as Diana and Jodhi May as her daughter, Molly.

1988 (PG) 114m/C GB Barbara Hershey, Jodhi May, Linda Mvusi, David Suchet, Jeroen Krabbe, Paul Freeman, Tim Roth, Jude Akuwidike, Albee Lesotho; D: Chris Menges; W: Shawn Slovo; C: Peter Biziou; M: Hans Zimmer. British Academy Awards ‘88: Best Original Screenplay; Cannes Film Festival ‘88: Best Actress (Hershey), Best Actress (May, Mvusi), Grand Jury Prize; New York Film Critics Awards ‘88: Best Director (Menges). VHS, LV, Closed Caption