Skin

COME ON, MA.

LET'S DO IT.

SANDRA.

SANDRA LAING?

HUGH JOHNSTON, "WORLD NETWORK NEWS."

UH, COULD WE ASK SOME QUESTIONS?

Woman: SANDRA.

SANDRA.

CAN I GET YOUR AUTOGRAPH?

SORRY.

LOOK, MAMA!

I'VE GOT A SECRET.

IS IT A GOOD SECRET?

YES, VERY.

TELL ME.

- I PACKED MELINDA FOR YOU.

- ARE YOU READY, MY ANGEL?

- DEAR GOD, MAKE THIS JOURNEY SAFE.

WE PUT OUR BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, LEON AND SANDRA,

IN YOUR CARE,

AND KNOW THAT YOU WILL BLESS THEM.

Together: AMEN.

BYE, THEMBI!

BYE, SANDRA.

- THERE ONCE WAS A GIRL WHO LIVED IN A SHOP,

WHO'D ONLY EAT HER MISMATCHED SOCKS.

UNTIL ONE DAY, ALONG CAME A LION,

AND GOBBLED HER UP IN JUST TWO HOPS.

WINDOWS UP.

OKAY, SANDRA.

HAVE A GOOD TIME, LEON.

LOOK AFTER YOUR SISTER.

OFF YOU GO.

COME ON, MY LOVE.

BYE, SON.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

HELLO, MRS. JOUBERT. WHAT A LOVELY DRESS.

SANDRA LAING.

WHAT'S THE NAME AGAIN?

- LAING. I'M LEON'S MOTHER.

THERE.

BED NUMBER 4. THANK YOU.

MA?

WHY ARE THEY ALL STARING?

- YOU'RE NEW HERE, MY SWEET.

THEY'RE JUST CURIOUS.

- EXCUSE ME. WHAT IS...

Sannie: NOW, WHAT SHALL WE DO...

WITH MELINDA?

SANDRA.

DO YOU WANT HER ON THE BED LIKE HOME,

OR SHALL WE PUT HER ON THE TABLE?

BED, PLEASE, MA.

SO, IT'S DONE.

ANY PROBLEMS?

NO.

SANDRA.

I'M ELIZE.

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

I'M FROM SWAZILAND.

THAT'S ANOTHER COUNTRY.

- I KNOW THAT. I'M NOT STUPID.

- ALL MY FRIENDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BLACK.

I'M NOT BLACK.

Man: ON THAT JESUS REACHED OUT HIS HAND,

TOUCHED HIM AND SAID,

"I WANT YOU TO BE CLEAN."

AND IMMEDIATELY HE WAS CLEANSED OF HIS LEPROSY.

CLOSE YOUR EYES.

FOR WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE, LORD,

MAKE US TRULY GRATEFUL.

All: AMEN.

WHAT HAPPENED?

TELL ME!

- I TOLD ANNIE YOU WEREN'T BLACK,

AND SHE HIT ME.

Miss Ludik: NOW, IN THE EARLY DAYS,

OUR COUNTRY WAS VAST PLAINS.

AND ON THESE PLAINS WERE WILD ANIMALS

AND SAVAGE NATIVES WHO WERE ALWAYS TRYING TO TAKE OUR LAND.

THERE WERE MANY WARS BETWEEN THEM.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT WAS, STUDENTS?

UH, DAWIE, JA?

- BECAUSE THEY WERE KAFFIRS, MEVROU.

- THAT'S A BAD WORD, EH, DAWIE?

WE DON'T USE THAT LANGUAGE IN THE CLASSROOM.

ANNIE. YES.

- THEY COULDN'T LIVE TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY WERE DIFFERENT.

- THAT'S RIGHT, ANNIE! GOOD! GOOD, GOOD.

BECAUSE THEY WERE...

All: DIFFERENT.

Miss Ludik: DIFFERENT.

EVEN TODAY, WE LEARN THAT EVERYTHING

ABOUT THE BANTU IS... DIFFERENT.

UH, WHAT SORT OF JOBS DO THEY DO?

MM-HMM?

- THEY WORK IN THE MIELIE FIELDS, MEVROU.

THAT'S RIGHT!

AND IN THE MINES.

AND IN THE MINES.

- MY FATHER SAYS HE DOESN'T LET THEM DRIVE THE TRACTORS

BECAUSE THEY HAVE MONKEY HANDS LIKE SANDRA.

Abraham: LOOK. WHAT DOES THIS SAY?

MENEER LAING,

A PIECE OF PAPER

IS NOT GOING TO REASSURE ALL THE PARENTS

WHO CALL ME EVERY DAY

TO COMPLAIN THAT THERE'S A BLACK CHILD AT THIS SCHOOL.

SANDRA IS A DISRUPTION.

YOU ARE A SERVANT OF THE STATE,

AND THE STATE REQUIRES YOU TO LOOK AFTER MY CHILD.

YOU MUST SIMPLY DO YOUR JOB, MENEER.

- MY JOB IS TO LOOK AFTER ALL THE CHILDREN AT THIS SCHOOL.

SANDRA DOES NOT BELONG HERE.

IT'S TRUE.

SANDRA'S SPECIAL.

A BRAVE, INTELLIGENT, AND A WONDERFUL CHILD.

TRY GETTING TO KNOW HER. YOU'LL SEE.

WHAT DO I ALWAYS SAY TO YOU?

NEVER GIVE UP.

MM.

NEVER GIVE UP!

LOOK AFTER YOUR SISTER, LEON.

LOVE TO MAMA!

HELLO, MY CHILD.

AND HOW ARE YOU, MA'AM?

ANY BARGAINS TODAY?

SPECIAL OFFER ON BUTTER.

- NEVER A SPECIAL ON ICE-CREAM.

- ANYTHING ELSE FOR YOU, JOSEPH?

- THAT'S EVERYTHING I NEED, MRS. LAING.

AM I MADE OF MONEY?

HEY, MRS. LAING.

I NEED A NEW WIFE. THIS ONE -- SHE'S TOO EXPENSIVE.

- BE PATIENT MY BROTHER, SHE'S YOUNG.

IN GOOD TIME.

WHY DO YOU TALK TO THEM?

JUST SELL TO THEM. THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO DO.

WHAT DID THEY SAY?

- I MADE SURE THEY HEARD WHAT IHAD TO SAY.

SHE'LL SETTLE IN.

LEON WAS THE SAME. IT TAKES TIME.

45.

AM I SICK?

SANDRA...

SEVENS, PLEASE.

BEGIN.

7 TIMES 1 EQUALS 7.

7 TIMES 2...

LOUDER.

7 TIMES 1 EQUALS 7.

7 TIMES 2 EQUALS--

LOUDER!

7 TIMES 1 EQUALS 7.

7 TIMES 2 EQUALS 14.

- I SAID LOUDER! NOW BEGIN AGAIN!

- WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME?!

GIVE ME THAT!

NOW STAND STILL!

THAT'S DISGUSTING.

WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

ASK YOUR PARENTS.

PA, WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

NOTHING, MY ANGEL.

IT'S ALL RIGHT.

SO...

YOU NEED THREE BIG MEN FOR ONE LITTLE GIRL?

- SANDRA IS BEING RECLASSIFIED COLORED.

SHE MAY NO LONGER ATTEND A WHITE SCHOOL.

ARE YOU MAD?

SHE'S OURCHILD.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NEXT?

RECLASSIFY MY WIFE AND ME, AS WELL?!

- KEEP QUIET, OR YOU WILL LOSE YOUR DAUGHTER.

I'LL TELL YOU WHAT...

- THERE ARE LAWS IN THIS COUNTRY.

GET OFF MY PROPERTY.

NOW!

DON'T WORRY, SANNIE.

I WILL FIX THIS.

HOW, ABRAHAM?

- THE LAWS ARE THERE TO PROTECT US.

JUST HAVE TO PLAY THESE PEOPLE AT THEIR OWN GAME,

THAT'S ALL.

- CAN THEY REALLY TAKE HER AWAY FROM US?

TRUST ME...

...JUST AS I HAVE TRUSTED YOU ALL THESE YEARS.

- HOW MANY TIMES MUST WE GO THROUGH THIS?

YOU KNOW THAT SHE IS YOURS.

- YOU'RE ALWAYS SO FRIENDLY WITH EVERYONE IN THE SHOP.

- WHO ELSE IS THERE TO TALK TO?

- ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT PEOPLE TALK IN THE COMMUNITY?

- TALK ABOUT WHAT? - I HAVE TO LIVE HERE!

I LIVE HERE, TOO.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IT'S LIKE FOR ME?

CAN I SLEEP HERE?

- NORA... - HMM?

- AM I REALLY BLACK LIKE YOU?

NO, CHILD.

YOU ARE NOT BLACK.