Growing up, I heard about the life of Nelson Mandela. Although movies have been made showing his life I have not seem them. Hearing about Invictus, it renewed and I was determined to watch it.

The movie is about Nelson Mandela and his struggles to unite South Africa after apartheid. Apartheid according to Wikipedia was a system of legal racial segregation enforced by the National Party government in South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority black inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and minority rule by white was maintained. Invictus documents Mandela early in his Presidency with aggressive measures to inspire and unite the country around the country’s rugby team and their quest to win the tournament.

The lead actors in the movie Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon were outstanding. To think that these actors are American and were able to reproduce the respective South African accents (both black and white) with such clarity speaks to their depth as actors and their ability to tell the story. That is one thing you have to take away from the movie Invictus. The acting was classy and they did bring the story to live.

The cinematography of the movie was awesome. The camera angles showed throughout the movie were from a spectator’s view at times – as if it were an eyewitness capturing an event. This may have been deliberate because it allowed the viewer to be captivated. If you watch the movie there is a particular scene with an aircraft that is simply fantastic.

Invictus also attempted to show different views from South Africa. You saw the metropolitan areas and we could not escape from the more destitute areas – what I call the face of Africa. It was refreshing to see the developed areas. It actually has inspired me to visit South Africa – only if I could afford it. I have watched many events from South Africa and the packaged televised programs make you want to wake up there. South Africa is big on fashion and I just hope the country continues to show and inspire other African nations to do well. If you haven’t heard, South Africa will host 2010 World Cup, look forward to a world class event as they are capable to deliver just that.

Invictus is big on rugby, big on acting, big on Mandela but Invictus tackles issues that many countries still face today. There is a point in the movie where it shows thousands of people in long lines waiting to cast their votes. Of course, this would be the first time they would be voting since black people were not allowed to participate in elections. It brought back memories of Obama’s campaign and the energy that captivated the entire country and indeed the world. Racism is front and centre in Invictus. It goes to show how divided the country was. One particular scene from the movie shows the new security detail for Mandela not wanting to accept white security guards for the new President because of the effects of apartheid.

This movie is inspiring to watch, it will make you cry and it will make you hungry for something better. It is definitely a movie that will leave you satisfied and wanting more.

Go see Invictus today! I give it 5 out of 5. I love a good drama.