Skin

In 1955 when Sandra Laing was born, it said white on her birth certificate. This was not unusual because her father was white, her mother was white and her older brother was white. But Sandra Laing was different, her skin was a beautiful, creamy tan.

Sandy grew up perfectly happy in a small South African town where her parents ran a country store for the local black population. Everything was fine until Sandra entered boarding school at the age of 10 during 1960s Apartheid. Here among the white Afrikaner students, Sandra stood out with her tawny skin and tightly wound black curls. After many student and parental complaints, the principal of the school rejected Sandra’s admission and took legal steps to have her reclassified as black. Under current Apartheid laws, this meant that Sandra was forced to leave school.

Incensed by his daughter’s rejection, Sandra’s father begins a legal battle to reclaim Sandra’s white status. Her very public court battle put Sandra in the middle of a media frenzy as politicians and reformists used Sandra as a human example of the injustices of Apartheid. In the papers, Sandra was a symbol, but in reality she was an intelligent little girl who just wanted to go to school. Skin tells the story of Sandra Liangs’ lifelong ordeal and her unjust personal circumstances.

Given the facts, this story should have been very moving, but somehow my heartstrings were left un-strummed. The performances were adequate and the film boasted a strong cast including Sam Neil as the father, Alice Krige as the mother and Sophie Okonedo as Sandra Laing. But somehow the film felt heavy handed with an overbearing musical score. I was intrigued, but not moved.

In the deepest recesses of my memory I have a vague recollection of discussing this topic with my classmates. How could two white parents give birth to a black child? Most likely Sandra’s case made the international news and the sensationalism of the idea made its way to the playground. In a way Sandra’s life gave me an interest in biology and genetics that stayed with me through college. But due to my young age at the time, I did not grasp the social implications of what was happening. Skin brings up some very interesting ideas and concepts, but failed in reminding us that this was a real woman who suffered immensely because of a ridiculous prejudicial law. The law was eventually changed and Apartheid fell, but it was too late for Sandra Liang and that in itself is the true crime of this situation. Sandra is still a symbol, but now she represents resilience. I wish I could have written her a happier ending.

Rating: Second Run Does the color of our skin define us?