Friends (1993 film)
{{Short description|1993 film by Elaine Proctor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Use South African English|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Friends
| image = Friends 1993.jpeg
| caption = VHS cover
| director = Elaine Proctor
| producer = Judith Hunt
| writer = Elaine Proctor
| starring = Kerry Fox
Dambisa Kente
Michele Burgers
| music = Rachel Portman
| cinematography = Dominique Chapuis
| editing = Tony Lawson
| studio = Chrysalide Film
| distributor = Haut et Court (France)
BBC Two (UK)
| released = {{film date|df=yes|1993|9|15}}
| runtime = 105 minutes
| country = South Africa
| language = English
| budget =
}}
Friends is a 1993 South African drama film directed by Elaine Proctor. It was entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, where it won an award for Caméra d'Or Special Distinction.{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/2579/year/1993.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Friends |access-date=18 August 2009|work=festival-cannes.com}} The film is set during apartheid in Johannesburg and follows three friends who each represent a different faction of South African society.
Plot
Three young women live together in apartheid-era Johannesburg, with each of them dealing with apartheid in different ways. Thoko, a Black woman, works as a schoolteacher and practices non-violent passive resistance. Aninka, an Afrikaner, is an archeologist who rejects her family’s pro-apartheid politics. Sophie, who is from a white British family, is a librarian but secretly belongs to an anti-apartheid terrorist organization. Sophie plants bombs in public places on behalf of the organization. One day, a bomb she leaves at an airport explodes and kills innocent bystanders, including an elderly Black woman. The tragic incident fractures the women’s friendships and loyalties.
Cast
- Kerry Fox as Sophie
- Dambisa Kente as Thoko
- Michele Burgers as Aninka
- Marius Weyers as Johan
- Tertius Meintjes as Jeremy
- Dolly Rathebe as Innocentia
- Wilma Stockenström as Iris
- Carel Trichardt as Rheinhart
- Anne Curteis as Sophie's mother
- Ralph Draper as Sophie's father
- Mary Twala as Grace
- Maphiki Mabohi as Daphne
- Job Kubatsi as Maurondile
- Vanessa Cooke as Prison's warden
- Jerry Mofokeng as Thomi
- Trevi Jean Le Pere as Jeremy's lover
Reception
David Stratton of Variety wrote "The tense, divided realities of life in contemporary South Africa are vividly brought to the screen in 'Friends,' a provocative pic from first-time writer-director Elaine Proctor. Despite intriguing characters and good performances, however, the film is saddled with a schematic screenplay that leaves many questions unanswered and problems unaddressed."{{Cite web |last=Stratton |first=David |author-link=David Stratton |date=1993-05-26 |title=Friends |url=https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/friends-3-1200432169/ |access-date=2022-04-26 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} Stratton contended though the screenplay has "many rough edges and contrivances", Friends "is so well-acted that the occasional flaws can be easily overlooked." He concluded "Proctor’s depiction of the uneasy atmosphere of Johannesburg between 1985 and 1990 is so vivid that audiences should be completely caught up in the drama."
Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, Leah Garchik said, "'Friends
Friends was shown in competition at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a Prix de Camera D’Or - Special Mention honor.{{Cite web |title=Elaine Proctor - About |url=https://elaineproctor.com/about/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830061409/https://elaineproctor.com/about/ |archive-date=2012-08-30 |access-date=2022-04-26 |website=elaineproctor.com}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0106968|title=Friends}}
- [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/friends-v148108 Friends] at AllMovie
- [https://protagonistpictures.com/film/friends/ Friends] at Protagonist Pictures
- [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/517781/friends Friends] at TCM Movie Database
Category:1990s English-language films
Category:1993 independent films
Category:Films set in South Africa
Category:Films shot in South Africa
Category:English-language South African films
Category:1990s political drama films
Category:Films about race and ethnicity
Category:Films directed by Elaine Proctor
Category:Films scored by Rachel Portman
Category:South African drama films
Category:1990s female buddy films
Category:English-language independent films