The White African

Rating: Unrated

Runtime: 1 hr. 30 min.

Rotten Tomatoes: 7.6/10 97%

Foreign documentaries often focus on injustices done to minorities, but rarely are those minorities white men. The White African tells the story of a farmer and his family who live in Zimbabwe during the time when Robert Mugabe is trying to incite division between the blacks and whites. Without portraying all black Zimbabweans negatively, the film appears to keep a balanced view of those who are racist and those who want justice, no matter what their skin color.

Despite beatings and death threats, white farmers in Zimbabwe fight to keep the land that they rightfully own. One cannot watch this documentary without comparing it to apartheid in South Africa, allowing a reflection on human nature and the realization that people have the will and the capacity to either accept or discriminate against each other. The White African follows the international law suit the white farmers have against Robert Mugabe, making the appropriately long-winded like the prolonged suit.

Will justice prevail? Well, like life, it’s a little more complicated than that.