4 Mandela Inspired Movies We Love

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

In this 2013 film based on Mandela’s 1995 autobiography of the same name, we watch Mandela’s life, from his childhood, coming of age, 27 years in prison, and eventually his serving as the first democratically elected President of South Africa. I loved this movie because even though it was a documentary, it was still very moving and emotional. I especilally loved that it chronicled so many important years in the great Nelson Mandela’s life. Idris Elba and Naomie Harris give brilliant perforances as Nelson and Winnie Mandela.

Invictus

This 2009 film focuses on the period right after Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) becomes president. The nation is still very much divided and Mandela sees an opportunity to unite his people. The 1995 Rugby World Cup is underway and the president enlists the help of the national team’s captain Francois Pienaar (played by att Damon) to lead by example and lead the otherwise terrible team to victory. The movie is a textbook example of how sports unites people.

Winnie Mandela

This particular 2013 movie gathered a lot of controversy. I loved it for two reasons, the first of which was Jennifer Hudson’s amazing transformation into Winnie Mandela. The second reason is I completely loved the idea of telling the story of the struggle from Winnie’s perspective. Of course, the real life former Mrs. Mandela didn’t approve of the film, but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable.

Goodbye Bafana: The Color of Freedom

Much like ‘Winnie Mandela’ is a film told from Winnie’s perspective, ‘Goodby Bafana’ is a 2007 film from the perspective of a white racist James Gregory (Joseph Fiennes) who is charged with watching Nelson (Dennis Haysbert) in prison because he can speak Xhosa. As he continues to interact with Nelson , he gains a new perspective on what is really going on in the country and changes his mindset. Of course, this leads to James and his family being alienated by their peers. My favorite thing about this movie is the focus on Mandela’s time in prison – even though it’s from a third party perspective.