Based on a true story, Skin is an account of the conundrums of racial classification in a society where race determined not only social status but also legal rights. Although Sandra Laing (played by Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo) is a dark complexioned girl with nappy hair, she is the daughter of white South Africans during the Apartheid regime. She is an anomaly; her parents (Sam Neill and Alice Krige) send her to a whites-only school where she becomes the object of snickering from fellow students and abuse by teachers. Finally, when the school’s chain-smoking physician reclassifies her as “coloured” i.e. of mixed European-African ancestry, she is expelled. Sandra’s father decides to fight back.
Make no mistake: Mr. Laing is no campaigner for social justice but an advocate of Apartheid who wants the system to work for him. Pride is at the root of his crusade against the petty officials who would deny his only daughter the privilege of being white. Laing takes them to courtand wins. Sandra is now legally white, but finds acceptance difficult because of her obviously African appearance. Dating white boys remains a problem, as is sitting in whites-only restaurants. When Sandra falls in love with a black man, her father turns from white to blood red.
A fascinating look at the workings of racism, Skin is out on DVD.
