{"id":61349,"date":"2011-09-19T12:13:18","date_gmt":"2011-09-19T12:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/0de2709a84.nxcli.net\/0-kjasnb\/2011\/09\/19\/tiff-review-winnie\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T12:56:09","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T12:56:09","slug":"tiff-review-winnie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.blackfilm.com\/read\/tiff-review-winnie\/","title":{"rendered":"TIFF Review: Winnie"},"content":{"rendered":"

TIFF 2011 Review: Winnie<\/a><\/strong>By Fred Topel<\/p>\n

September 2011<\/p>\n

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The print of Winnie<\/a> <\/em><\/strong>screened at the Toronto International Film Festival was unfinished with sound and technical issues not final. I will only be reviewing the content of the film, not the technical specs, though you wouldn\u2019t notice anything if you saw it here.<\/p>\n

The biography of Winnie Mandela (Jennifer Hudson<\/strong>) starts when she is just a child stick fighting in her village. The film breezes through her schooling to get to grown-up Winnie and her courtship and romance with Nelson Mandela (Terrence Howard<\/strong>). The film covers a respectable amount of history as biopics do, if a bit Hollywood in structure.<\/p>\n

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The first act sets the stage for the racism Winnie faced in college, and how the Mandelas were hunted by Apartheid authorities. Just in case anyone seeing this movie is a total blank slate, it\u2019s there but it\u2019s not redundant for the majority of us who know the history.<\/p>\n

The romance is the most Hollywood part of it. Their courtship is whimsical, almost Annie Hall<\/em>-esque only with chickens instead of a lobster. I didn\u2019t have a problem seeing a human side to the couple though. I know I\u2019m about to watch the decades of political struggle and I would wonder what a personal toll it\u2019s going to take.<\/p>\n

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Once Nelson is imprisoned, the details begin to illuminate the struggle Winnie faced on the outside. Her letters to Nelson were redacted so she never even knew what sentences would remain by the time they got to him. The red tape forbade even visitation for a year. That\u2019s not just a romantic issue. It\u2019s basic humanity that\u2019s not allowed under Apartheid rule.<\/p>\n

Writer\/director Darrell Roodt<\/strong> was able to make a narrative out of the decades of struggle and accomplishment. By the time Winnie is imprisoned, the film has built up the social movement as an underdog resistance. Hudson\u2019s scene in the solitary cell will be her Oscar clip. The inhumane tactics prison officials used to wear down Winnie\u2019s spirit make her all the more triumphant for maintaining her perspective.<\/p>\n

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Since Nelson is in prison during the events of the film, Howard has the supporting role. His performance is classy, capturing the voice and gravitas we know of Mandela without getting too showboaty. It would make a fine companion piece to Morgan Freeman\u2019s in Invictus. <\/em>As the focus of the story, Hudson becomes Winnie Mandela. You never feel you\u2019re watching a singer, actor or weight loss spokeswoman. Her progression from idealistic young woman to bitter, weathered politician is stark, even if the age makeup gets a bit costumey towards the \u201890s phase. Mainly, it\u2019s her inner strength during the prison torture scenes that captures the essence of Winnie.<\/p>\n

The film focuses on a few years of the Mandela\u2019s lives: 1963, 1975, 1985 and 1997. Each years surrounding a key development, they\u2019re also able to show the general progress of the movement through settings and conversations. It seems jealousy and suspicion arises while Nelson is still in prison.<\/p>\n

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Towards the end, the film skims over the most controversial parts. Winnie\u2019s essential ostracizing from the ANC deals with allegations against her entourage of \u201cFootball club\u201d bodyguards, but the film doesn\u2019t take a stand. The divorce is barely explained and I don\u2019t even think they use the D word. The film is short for a biopic, only about an hour 40. They definitely could have explored the most controversial parts and would have pissed some people off, but no guts no glory. It also would have been the less uplifting and inspiring parts but that shouldn\u2019t scare the filmmakers away.<\/p>\n

Winnie <\/em>may not be the definitive Mandela family biography but it\u2019s not the travesty I was worried it would be. It turns history into a compelling story and the lead performances are as strong as you\u2019d expect. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if it ends up on HBO given its by the books approach and summary towards the end, but a studio could make a case for these performances at Oscar time.<\/p>\n

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