A Dry White Season (1989)
A Dry White Season (1989) is an American drama movies directed by Euzhan Palcy and starring Donald Sutherland, Jürgen Prochnow, Marlon Brando, Janet Suzman, Zakes Mokae and Susan Sarandon. It was written by Colin Welland and Palcy, based upon André Brink's novel A Dry White Season. It is set in South Africa in 1976 and deals with the subject of apartheid.[1]
Plot
Caucasian Ben du Toit was born in South Africa, marries Susan, has a son, Johan, and teaches to earn a living. During the 1980s, the government declares a state of emergency, arrests and tortures tens of thousands of black residents, even as young as eleven-years-old. One of them, Jonathan, who happens to be the son of his gardener, Stanley, is arrested and subsequently killed by the Police while allegedly trying to escape. This sudden death arouses his suspicions, he decides to probe into this matter and ensure that no one gets away with murder. Little does he realize that soon he will be labelled a "traitor" by people of his own race.[2]
