In My Country – Country of My Skull

Released in the wake of Hotel Rwanda, In My Country tackles another grim chapter in African history. Set during South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the film is adapted from Antjie Krog's Country of My Skull. Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient) is Anna, an Africaans poet and broadcaster, and Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) is Langston, a Chicago reporter. The two meet during the hearings and take an instant dislike to each other. In due time, however, they come to an understanding and embark on a tentative affair, despite Anna's faith in the hearings and Langston's doubts. John Boorman, whose previous features were the underrated Beyond Rangoon and The Tailor of Panama, coaxes sensitive performances from his leads and sheds welcome light on an important event, but In My Country never catches fire. Boorman regular Brendan Gleeson (The General), however, makes a memorable appearance as a sadistic police chief. --Kathleen C. Fennessy