A World Apart

"South Africa, 1963. A mother's love. A family's courage."

1988 1h 53m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 32

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A White enclave in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the 1960s. Molly Roth, 13 years old, is the daughter of leftist parents, and she must piece together what's happening around her when her father disappears one night, barely evading arrest, and, not long after, her mother is detained by the authorities. Some of Molly's White friends turn against her, and her family's friendships with Blacks take on new meaning. Relationships are fragile in the world of apartheid. How will she manage?

“South Africa, 1963. A mother's love. A family's courage.”

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Cast

Barbara Hershey
Diana Roth
David Suchet
Muller
Jeroen Krabbé
Gus Roth
Paul Freeman
Kruger
Tim Roth
Harold
Jodhi May
Molly Roth
Nadine Chalmers
Yvonne Abelson
Maria Pilar
Spanish Dance Teacher

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chris Menges
Writers: Shawn Slovo
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chris Menges, shot by Peter Biziou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nicolas Gaster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barbara Hershey and David Suchet and Jeroen Krabbé carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "South Africa, 1963. A mother's love. A family's courage.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0096464 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chris Menges directs. Peter Biziou behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. Nicolas Gaster cuts. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

138 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Chris Menges, shot by Peter Biziou. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Nicolas Gaster shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Barbara Hershey and David Suchet and Jeroen Krabbé carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "South Africa, 1963. A mother's love. A family's courage.".
8IMDB entry: tt0096464 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 32 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.