Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

It is a difficult task to stuff 95 years of dynamic living into palatable format for the big screen and Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom largely accomplishes this goal although it does seem to bow under its own weight at times. Director Justin Chadwick is very earnest in making sure this movie stays true to the story of Madiba, apartheid, and the people of South Africa. Many of the extras that populate the scenes of resistance actually lived the experiences that are replayed. Naomie Harris is the only actress to portray Winnie Madikizela who has actually met Winnie Madikizela. The film is unexpectedly beautiful. Not counting the actors, the sets, the wardrobe and the landscape of South Africa are loving handled. Everyone involved in the making of this film knew they had large story to tell and that desire and reach for authenticity plays through.

While Elba is not of South African descent and looks nothing like Mandela he channels him in every way. Elba's accent and imitation of Mandela's speech is meticulous. The way Elba changes his physicality as Mandela ages, the slight hunch, the signature two fisted dance; are perfectly executed. The passion Elba's Mandela inspires is palpable. More than once I wanted to answer his cries of "Amandla!" The scenes of resistance and infiltration of 'whites only' spaces are thrilling. The danger and the tension of those scenes are fraught and South Africa's descent towards a seemingly inevitable civil war during Mandela's imprisonment seem to happen with unstoppable force. Elba is a true champion of his art.

The film suffers from equal parts drag and rush. Even at two and a half hours Mandela's personal relationships don't get the development they deserve. Thankfully, each actor is so talented and invested that these relationships are not completely lost and dry. However, the time Mandela spends imprisoned can feel like real time to the viewer. Staying true to events and breaking up potential monotony, the film focuses on Madikizela during this time and the various instances of harassment and imprisonment she also suffered.

Madikizela's character is given the very purposeful treatment of being her own person who operates a movement under her own power. She may not be the main focus of the film, but Madikizela is far from being ignored or shown as merely an extension of Mandela's leadership. Madikizela is her own leader whose experiences lead her to a very different place than the one Mandela inhabits soon after his release. Harris brings such ferocity and vulnerability to the role you can help but want a to see her star in a film about Madikizela.

I sat mere inches from the film's star Idris Elba as he described the moment they learned Madiba had passed away. He recalled the moment during a particular scene where Mandela is at long last being released from his 27 years of imprisonment when cell phones started buzzing. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, leaned toward him to share the unhappy news and they cried as on screen Mandela talks of finally being free. The death of Madiba has marked an end of an era for millions in South Africa and across the world. His legacy of lifelong devotion to the end of apartheid and dedication to racial equality spans generations and his sacrifice will never be forgotten.