Invictus

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This historically accurate film, directed by Clint Eastwood, is a film about Nelson Mandela using the sport of rugby to unify the newly free nation of South Africa. Remaining throughout the movie, Nelson Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman, talks to Springbok team captain François Pienaar, subtly informing him of the importance of this World Cup.  The movie continues to show how as the Springboks continually exceed expectations, the country slowly becomes racially mixed.  One scene illustrates this perfectly.  As the final of the World Cup is going on, the film occasionally cuts to two white policemen in their car listening in on the game.  As they listen, a poor black child approaches the car to pick up something from the ground, and the police begin to get angry.  As the game continues, the boy moves slowly closer to the car, and the men do not prevent him from doing so.  When the game ends with a Springbok victory, all three of them join in celebration together, and the policemen even pick up the child out of sheer happiness.  This scene was used to illustrate the success of Nelson Mandela’s idea to unify the country through a common sport: rugby.

This film also demonstrates the slow evolution from a government rule based on apartheid to a unified South Africa. In the beginning of the film, Mandela is elected president. This results in the white majority leaving South Africa fearful of Mandela's desired revenge that the whites thought he had. Mandela's main objective throughout the film is to unify South Africa with passive resistance, and patience. Mandela recognizes unity will not occur instantly over time. He hopes to lead South Africa into an antiapartheid based government, however statistics such as crime and unemployment rate initially both increase significantly. Thoughout the movie Mandela has to deal with a very segregated and hostile environment, but rugby is his key to unity. Mandela turns to Francois Pienaar, the white captain of the South African national rugby team to lead his team to victory, while simultaneously leading South Africa into a more unified nation.

 The film is also able to give an idea of the personality of Nelson Mandela at the time of his election.  Morgan Freeman portrays him as a man who forgives easily, acknowledges everybody, and never loses his focus.  Even after his 27 years on Robin Island, he was able to remain positive the entire time, partially with the help of the poem the film is named after: Invictus. 

Nelson Mandela read this poem while he was stuck in his prison, and it was this poem that allowed him to stay hopeful.