Mandela: Der lange Weg zur Freiheit

It’s hard to say anything bad about this movie. Nelson Mandela’s life story is definitely worth telling. And it even seems that Idris Elba must have been born for this role. What’s worse, however, are some opinions that Nelson publicly espoused and that some people might have a problem with. Same as when Masaryk didn’t ask the Germans in the border regions and simply decided the borders of Czechoslovakia, or when Havel became the first president of the Czech Republic and everybody was criticizing him for being too humane. Nelson also had good intentions for South Africa and he went through personal hell in order to make it possible for a country he dreamed of to be established. But it’s true what they say that the power of a country lives and dies with the ruler. I mean there is something nice about all this, but I do believe that a lot of people from over there would think differently. What I’ve been told by a friend who lived there for half a year and who got into a couple of bad situations makes me think about whether the way the country works today is exactly what Nelson was really fighting for or whether things were a bit different… (05.10.2014)

A standard and solidly executed biography of a significant personality, which may make some people stop mistaking her for Morgan Freeman because of this film. Idris Elba delivers a powerful performance, but I can't help but feel that the film was executed rather traditionally, without anything too significantly unique. It has a strong story, but that was already present even without this film adaptation. (27.04.2014)