A World Apart (1988) Movie Script
1
- Molly, I have to go.
- Where are you going?
Some place.
- When will you be coming back?
- I don't know.
Few weeks, maybe a month.
- Are you going out of the country?
- Molly, enough.
It's my work.
You know I can't talk about it.
You'll hear from me. I promise.
I love you very much.
Be cheerful, my honey.
Dad.
- Wish me luck.
- Yes, good luck.
Your sixth position, don't forget.
See you next week. Thank you, girls.
Molly, Yvonne, come.
There's my mom. Come on.
- Come on.
- I'm going to my mother's office.
- Get in, I'll drop you there.
-It's okay. It's only around the corner.
You can't walk on your own.
Come on, get in.
Stop it, Yvonne. You make him crazy.
Don't move him! Call an ambulance.
- Why don't we take him?
- No, I don't want to get involved.
- Hello, Molly.
- Hello.
- Hello, Mom.
- Hello, darling.
- Hello, Molly. How's school?
- Okay, thank you.
Fiona, ready.
"Thousands of Africans
are being kidnapped...
"shanghaied away from their towns
and their families...
"to do enforced labor on the farms."
Full stop.
"South Africa will not have farm workers
with a love and knowledge of the land...
"until they are ensured of a living wage...
"education, and above all...
"the freedom to enjoy the fullness of life."
Full stop.
New paragraph.
"The farm-labor scandal brings to the fore...
"the worst features of the apartheid
cheap-labor state...
"and gives them a new
and more hideous form."
That's it. Leave three columns
for the picture. Bye.
Mom, can we go now?
In a minute. I won't be long.
The South African government today...
announced the first arrests
under the 90-Day Detention Act.
The act confers power
on the security forces...
to detain people without trial
for up to 90 days for interrogation...
and follows in the wake
of the increased underground activity...
by the banned African National Congress.
Opponents of the government fear that
the new law will provide further freedom...
to the Security Police to imprison
and harass people who oppose apartheid.
Under an agreement
between Washington and Moscow...
That's it.
Molly, let's go.
Can you drop them off
at the house this afternoon?
Oh, Jesus Christ, Diana.
No, I promised the kids.
Marge has made arrangements.
You promised that report days ago.
Now I have to work on it over the weekend.
- Yeah?
- Don't make me feel bad about this, Harold.
See you later, Saeeda.
You promised we'd get the lace today.
Darling, I may have done,
but there's no time.
I'll drop you off at the store
and meet you at the hairdresser.
Mom, I need you to help me.
The competition's on Tuesday.
Then you'll have to wait.
I'll treat you to a hairdo. How about that?
Mom, there was an accident
on the corner of Anderson Street today.
It was a Black man,
a Black man on a bicycle.
Damn, I've left something behind. Here.
I'll meet you at the car.
I went to the hairdresser. Do you like it?
All right, Molly.
- Granny, guess what?
- What?
We've got a letter from Daddy.
Thank you, Milius.
There are some things in the back.
What did Daddy have to say in his letter?
"...by the swimming pool.
-"Molly, good luck."
- Kept all the lovely tarts for Gran.
"Jude, those were excellent exam marks."
The dustbins were in the way.
Why do you always keep them in that place?
I've got some biscuits
and some oranges in the car.
You brought us a sack last week.
You know we have oranges on the tree.
Hello, darling. That looks nice.
- Hello, darling.
- Hello, Nana.
You shouldn't hang about with wet hair,
Molly, you'll get pneumonia.
Is he well? ls there news?
Mom, I'm going to be out of town next
Wednesday. Can you collect the kids?
- But, Mom, I've got riding on Wednesday.
- I've made plans.
- I'll have to cancel them.
- I'll find someone else.
It's okay, Diana.
It's only an exhibition opening.
I can go on another day.
If you've made plans,
then it doesn't matter now.
My plans aren't important, Diana. I'll do it.
- Mom, the letter.
- Come, Gran.
- When's he coming back?
- Who?
- Daddy.
- I don't know.
He doesn't know.
But when do you think?
A week, eleven days,
at the end of the month.
I don't know. Neither does he.
- I miss him.
- So do I.
He misses us, as well. You know that.
What do you think? How do I look?
You look beautiful.
- Bye-bye, darling.
- Bye.
- George.
- Go away.
- What happened?
- Police at the back.
The wealth of the Reef gold mines
lies not in the richness of the strike...
but in the low costs of production...
kept down by the abundance of cheap labor.
Note to myself to check the suppressed
1960 Mines Commission Report.
The majority of workers are migrants...
a system responsible
for the most blatant exploitation...
of the largest single labor force
in South Africa.
I think I should elaborate
on the disastrous social effects.
When the door is closed, you knock.
You know that.
What are you doing?
I'm working. I don't want to be interrupted.
- Go have your breakfast.
-ls that a hiding place?
Yes.
And you must keep it a secret.
Do you understand?
Look at me. Do you understand?
- What do you keep in there?
- Molly, that's enough.
What do you want?
One, two, three, four...
five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four.
There's some men over there.
- Let's do it again.
- But there's men over there.
Get back.
I'm Solomon Mabusa. This is Sipho Dlamini.
- I'm Elsie's brother.
- Go fetch her.
- Are you the one who's been in jug?
- Yes.
- Come on, Molly. Let's do it again.
- In a minute.
Come in the house.
Solomon's here.
Oh, my brother.
All right.
- Come.
-ls she here?
- Yes, she's here.
- We need to see her.
- We can--
- I'll take you.
Straight down the end.
You dropped something.
Beautiful.
Black for the people.
Green for the land. Yellow for the gold.
- Sorry we didn't phone.
- That's fine. Come in.
We have decided to give you a new contact.
Will they get in touch with me
in the usual way?
- No, something went wrong.
- Molly, come on.
We're to get a new procedure.
To boys.
Okay.
Get rid of your drinks.
Quickly.
May I see your warrant?
This is a warrant for the arrest of Gus Roth.
He's not here.
I'm surprised, Mrs. Roth.
You're having a party without him.
It's her birthday.
We'll just take a look around.
I don't need a warrant, Mrs. Roth...
to charge you under Section 94 of
the Prohibition of intoxicating Liquor Act...
which prohibits the supply
of alcoholic beverages to Blacks.
Do you see anyone here with a drink?
We want the names of everybody here.
Why does he want our names?
ls he going to take mine, too?
No, we're not old enough.
- Who did that?
- Who did what, Abelson?
"Who did what, Abelson?"
Why doesn't your father come back, Molly,
and face his punishment like a man?
- You don't know what you're talking about.
- Everyone knows he's a communist traitor.
Ivoetsak, you weren't even born here!
I swear, if I get my hands on you...
Do you have anything to say?
That's all then.
Molly, will you stay behind?
Is everything all right at home?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Have you heard from your father?
No, ma'am.
All right, child. You may go.
-It was windy yesterday.
- Stop that.
- You get all kinds of diseases from animals.
- What diseases?
- Leprosy, polio, scabies, rheumatism.
- If you say it, Jude...
I will kill you.
- Hi, Diana. Can we talk?
- Yes, of course.
Someone's been talking. We think we know--
How are you, Harold?
You're very immature at times, child!
Who was it, Mom?
- Who was what, Molly?
- Who's been talking?
Nobody.
- What did Harold say?
- Nothing.
The headmistress asked me questions
about Daddy today.
What questions?
- What did she say?
- Nothing.
This is Nelson. This is Walter.
This is Albertina, and this is Lilian.
This one is Lilian.
The little one is Albertina.
Are you sad?
Yes, I'm sad.
- Mom, where are you going?
- To the township. There's a bus protest.
- Can I come?
-It's 5:30 in the morning. You've got school.
Please, Mom, let me come with, please.
All right, go put on your uniform. Hurry.
Out of the way, man.
Over the Royals that obscure
Alexandra Township...
from the main road is coming
an eruption of workers from the town house.
The mood is cheerful, resilient.
They are singing...
chanting "Azikwelwa, "
they shall not be ridden.
"We have no money."
End to end,
the road is filled with hurrying figures.
Men, women,
babies tied securely to their backs.
Solomon.
- Can you see him, Mom?
- Yes, there.
Come and join us.
We are here already.
- Hello, my little twisting sister.
- Hello, Solomon.
- How are you?
- Okay.
- Are you coming to march with us?
- I have to go to school.
But it's nice seeing you.
Okay, see you guys.
Hey, give us a ride.
Get out, now.
- Have you got a license?
- A license for what?
- For carrying passengers.
- We're reporters, not taxi drivers.
Don't get smart with me, lady.
- And who's this?
- My daughter.
What kind of mother are you?
Next week she'll be sleeping
with the Kaffirs.
Judging from the colored population,
your forefathers didn't do too badly.
What are you doing here?
Where's your passport?
Come on, mate. Quickly.
Boy, come here!
- Bring me a lemonade.
- Bet you his name isn't boy.
Shut up. He's only helping here.
I don't know his name.
Anyway, he's a man.
Hello, darlings.
Are you having a fabulous time?
Don't look so serious, Molly.
Relax, enjoy yourself.
- Dance, circulate.
- Mom, my dress.
Isn't she gorgeous? Just look at this face.
When I look at this face, I could eat it up.
Ma, get off me.
- Is there any lipstick still on?
- Yes, just a little.
- Shall we dance?
- Okay.
Hello, Peggy.
Hello, Molly. Have a sit.
Have you had anything to eat yet?
Your father and mother are brave people.
You must be proud of them.
No, Peggy.
What is the matter with you, man?
Not enough olives,
and where's the parsley and the color?
Where's the red pepper?
Hello, bubbala.
Come on, chop-chop.
There are people starving out there.
...three years in this position.
Do you want something, Molly?
- Have you seen Yvonne?
- No.
Yes, over there.
That's the oldest daughter
of Gus and Diana Roth.
You know them?
The communist who skipped the country.
- I'll see you tomorrow then.
- Please don't forget your--
- I won't.
- Okay, bye.
Where's Mom?
She's at home.
She asked me to pick you up.
Out!
Gran, how come she's always allowed
to sit in the front?
It's not fair.
0h. my God!
She's in the study. Molly, hang on.
What's going on, Gran?
You're not going to take the address book.
You can't take that.
It's got the telephone numbers of our
doctor, dentist, all the children's--
There are names and numbers
of banned people in there.
For God's sake, I'm a journalist.
Diana, what's happening?
- They're arresting me.
- Oh, no.
It's 90 days.
- Oh, my God.
- Mom, please.
Go and pack your suitcase, Mrs. Roth.
Come on, come and help me.
Jude, don't forget to remind Gran
about the orthodontist this week.
Molly, you must ask the Abelsons
to collect you for riding.
No books except the Bible.
No writing paper, no papers.
- No pills, no medicine.
- I have an ulcer. I'm going to need these.
Mommy, how long is 90 days?
Three months, 12 weeks, 90 days.
But, Mommy, it's my birthday.
Darling...
it's not your birthday till December.
I won't miss it, I promise you.
Don't cry.
It will all come right. It'll all be all right.
Mommy, please don't go away. Please.
Please don't go. Mommy, please don't go.
- Mommy, please--
- Let's go.
Mommy, please don't go.
Mommy, don't go!
Let's go.
Mom!
Mommy.
"Rhodesia."
Quarrel in Rhodesia.
Qualms in Rhodesia.
Quadruplets.
Qualm in Rhodesia.
She went upstairs with her mom
to the toilet...
and they had this nice gate,
you know, those kind.
And the gate was open when they went up.
But then...
they came back and the gate was locked.
And we heard about Mr. Bromberg.
He's a spirit.
- And--
- You don't believe that, do you?
No, but now I do.
And Michelle Bromberg came up...
and said, "What's happening up here?"
So we said:
"We got stuck up here in the gate."
When are you going back to school?
Sooner or later you're going to have to.
That's where Mom sits.
That's where Dad sits.
Sometimes I wonder if you've got a heart.
You've nothing to say?
- Yes.
- Yes?
Yes, I want to write to my children.
I need pen and paper, please.
Answer our questions, sign a statement...
and, in no time,
you'll be back with your children.
Everybody else is talking.
No one will ever know.
We know all about you, anyway.
This was on the May 5.
This is the 11th.
This is the 27th.
This is the June 14.
Would you like to see more?
The one who got away.
- You're lucky you were late.
- If you know so much...
why don't you charge me?
You're an obstinate woman, Mrs. Roth.
You're lucky we're decent people.
We have feelings for women in this country.
Oh, God.
I didn't. I did not.
She's back.
- Hello.
- I didn't know when you were coming back.
You didn't try very hard to find out.
Molly, I was so busy.
I had to find another partner.
- Sorry about the competition.
- Don't worry about it. It was stupid, anyway.
Hey, I got something for you.
Look.
Is your mother all right?
Have you seen her?
No, she's not allowed visitors yet.
Do you need help catching up
with the work you've missed?
No, it's okay.
- How's your grandmother?
- She's fine.
She's not a young woman.
If you find it difficult at home...
you could come and board here.
Just until this is over.
And if you want to talk about anything...
I'm here.
Have you visited your mother in prison?
The war lasted more than two years.
The Transvaal allied
with the Orange Free State...
fought against troops
from the entire British Empire.
Here...
women and children were kept in
concentration camps by the British.
Like the American War of Independence,
this was the Afrikaner's fight...
for the liberty
and independence of his country.
Our country.
- Molly, are you with us?
- No, she's against us.
- There's Mom.
- All right.
I'll come home with you.
I'll get my gran to pick me up.
- Are you coming? Mom's got to go.
- Look, I'll phone you.
Hello, it's Molly.
Fine, thank you. ls Yvonne there?
Okay. Bye.
- Take that off!
- Molly.
Get out of my room! And you!
- What did I do?
- Get out!
- Yes.
-It's Molly. I want to see Yvonne.
- Who is it? Hello?
-ls Yvonne there? It's Molly.
- What the hell are you doing here?
- I want to see Yvonne.
- Who brought you here?
- Nobody.
- Then how did you get here?
- I walked.
I'm taking you home.
- Gerald, let me take her.
- I am taking her home.
- Gerald, let me take her.
- You get in the car, Molly.
- Don't interfere. I am taking her home!
- Stop shouting.
- Don't let me have--
- Dad!
Get in the car. Molly!
Dad.
And stay away from Yvonne!
- Elsie.
- Where have you been, Molly?
You gave us such a terrible fright.
Come on, hurry up.
Get dressed. They're waiting for you.
This is very dramatic.
This has nothing to do with us.
- What do you want me to say?
- How would you feel if this was your family?
Your husband, your children?
This is what you people do. You murderers!
Murderers?
You want to talk about murderers?
Why don't you show me the pictures
of the 69 you murdered at Sharpeville?
Give her respect.
Perhaps we can arrange
for you to see your children.
How are you?
Look who's here. The champion twister.
Welcome to my home.
Sweetheart.
He's blind.
He's our grandfather.
Okay.
Okay?
Don't laugh at Molly.
She's strong like her mother.
You strike the woman, you strike the rock,
and you dislodge a boulder...
and it crushes you.
I'm giving it to you.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Isn't it very nice?
- Yeah.
-It is?
Okay, let's eat.
Elsie.
There's a foot in my soup.
Eat it. You must eat it. It's the best part
of the chicken. It will make you rich.
I can't.
My mothers, fathers,
my brothers and sisters...
comrades all, I greet you
in the name of the struggle.
We cry for our land.
It is a cry we hear in our sleep...
a cry each one of us feels in his soul.
These broken houses where we live...
this poor church in which we meet today,
were not always here.
You.
And you.
You remember this place in another time
when you were children...
when all the slums were green fields,
and the land was ours.
And then the Dutchmen came,
and the Englishmen came...
and branded their flags,
and called our land theirs.
They filled our lives with such misery...
that for many years,
we even forgot to dream of freedom.
But 50 years later, we remembered again.
Fifty years later,
our movement and our struggle began.
We asked for a share of what was ours...
and the dignity to live as fellow men.
And when they did not hear us,
we raised our voice again and again.
What was their reply?
Taste the graveyards of Croesus.
Taste the graveyards of Nancefield.
They are salty with our people's blood.
How long are we going to stand
with our beggar's tins and cry?
The time has come now for another cry.
The time has come for a different cry.
Forward with the arms struggle.
Forward with Mandela's soldiers.
- This is the house of God.
- Not for terrorists.
We're taking you on a goodbye tour.
Come on, let's twist again. Come on. Twist.
Miriam, Jude, come on.
Come on. You're not moving enough.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Abrahams, but your daughter
has been transferred to Pretoria.
- Then why did you make us come here?
- I didn't. Look, we tried to reach you.
When? There's always somebody
at the house.
Gran, what about the food?
Molly, come.
Jude, come.
I don't want any potato.
It's nothing serious, you know.
Your granny's just been
under a lot of strain lately.
She's going to go away to rest,
just for a few weeks.
You can come and stay with us. See?
- I want to stay here.
- Me, too.
Elsie will be here. We can stay with her.
Molly, I won't be here.
I've got to be with my family.
- Okay, then I'll board at school.
- Molly, can I come with you?
- What do you want?
- I just dropped by to see you.
- Where's your little friend?
- Why? Are you missing him?
At least he's honest.
And what do you think of me?
I don't think about you at all.
I brought something for you.
I'm still in...
I'm still in pain...
and I'm not sleeping.
I'm out of sleeping pills.
I'll speak to the doctor.
But unless you start to eat,
that won't do you much good.
Do you miss your children?
- Why don't you answer?
- Because it's a stupid question.
Molly's not so crazy about boarding school.
Boarding school?
Little ones aren't so happy
about being sent away, either.
What's going on? Where's my mother?
Didn't I tell you? She's taken a little trip.
What do you mean? Where is she?
Have you taken her in?
You're not the only person in this country...
to suffer the consequences of your politics.
You're wasting your time.
I won't make a statement.
I know you're out to trap me.
We don't have any evidence to trap you.
You'll make it up if you haven't got it.
You have a twisted mind.
You follow me, you open my letters...
tap my telephone, have me arrested...
and you want me to believe
you're going to come...
to a free and unprejudiced decision
on my future. I do not trust you!
Then you have nothing left to trust!
Your people have denounced you publicly.
One of your friends saw you riding
in the Security Branch car.
Someone's been naming names,
they think it's you.
You bastard.
Your family is suffering
as a result of your delusions.
All this hand wringing,
playing Joan of Arc, it's nothing.
They're nothing but an excuse
for being a terrible mother.
Unless you make a statement,
you'll die in your cell...
and no one will know what happened.
You've wasted your life.
You could have done so much.
You can take her now.
Wardress, come here.
What's the matter now?
- Where are my books?
- What books? You're not allowed books.
You bastards! No books!
No books!
No books!
Good, much better. Right.
Keep it up. That's good.
Molly Roth.
The school secretary wants to see you.
Right. Come on, girls. Let's keep it moving.
Good.
Molly, I got chicken pox.
I was sick over the weekend.
Molly, you know that exam? I passed.
- Are you better?
- Much better. Thank you, darling.
- Where are we going?
- To see Mommy.
- I don't want to go.
- Oh, come on, Molly.
No, Gran, they'll do it again.
Are you cracking up?
Everybody's depending on you.
Can I be alone with my children?
Just ignore me and forget I'm here.
- Mommy, look what we brought you.
- What?
You brought me something?
Thank you, darling. Bubble gum.
- Mom, I came first in class.
- Open one, Mommy, and then you'll see.
See? Any one?
"Did you know...
"that the skin of an elephant
is 1 inch thick?"
I didn't know that.
"Did you know...
"that zip fasteners were first used
in the 19th century?"
See, Mommy, it's something for you to read.
Thank you.
Molly, darling, how's school?
How's Yvonne?
We're not really friends anymore.
Gerald grabbed her
and dragged her through the street.
It's doesn't matter anymore.
I know. It's difficult.
But you'll make new friends.
It's horrible. I hate the school.
I don't know what's going to happen.
Don't cry. Not here.
Not in front of them, all right?
Seventy-three, seventy-six, seventy-eight...
eighty. eighty-two...
eighty-four, eighty-six, eighty-eight.
Two, four, six, eight.
Pack your things, Mrs. Roth.
We're releasing you.
- Let me see the release order.
- The duty sergeant has it.
Roth.
Your release papers.
Can I use the telephone?
There's a public phone
on the street outside.
You can leave your suitcase here.
I'll take it with me.
Diana Roth? We're arresting you.
Clause 17 of the General Law Amendment
Act of 1963. Ninety days.
Hi.
You Okay?
I haven't spoken to your sisters, you know.
But you are old enough...
and you understand.
At least, I think you do.
You have to prepare yourself
not to be disappointed.
It's a very good thing
they haven't charged her.
But they may keep her in prison
for a very long time.
But we're by ourselves.
Elsie's children have been on their own
all their life.
I know. But I'm not talking about them.
Yeah, but you always have to. Do you see?
- How can you live here and do nothing?
- A lot of people do.
Yeah, and what do you think of them?
We also have to live with ourselves,
you know?
Not just for now, but for later, as well.
Do you understand?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
What's the difference?
Who did you see most at these meetings?
Adrian Lee.
Petrus Nkosi.
Yusaf Patel.
Where did these meetings take place?
In my house, in my motorcar...
in the home of Ivan Stanley.
Go on.
It's a funny thing, isn't it?
That every name you've given us is
the name of someone who's left the country.
We know every meeting you attended...
we saw you come, we saw you go.
You were the only woman there.
Yet you pretend you know nothing
of what happened...
that nothing happened was worth knowing.
We have enough evidence to charge you
right now, over and over again.
But we happen to have respect for women
in this country.
Yeah.
I'm going to give you one more chance.
We'll continue tomorrow.
We've dealt with you communists before.
And we've learnt...
that you've got to be
pushed up against the wall and squeezed.
Pushed and squeezed
and squashed into a corner.
Then you change. Then you talk.
She's too comfortable here.
- We should move her downstairs.
- Get out.
I will not make another statement.
Look, I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry
that you're doing this to yourself.
And I don't know
whether I'll be seeing you anymore.
What can I say?
Good luck.
You really should eat, you know.
It makes no sense.
You're the one that's going to suffer.
I hope you're satisfied.
We're releasing you.
But we're placing you under
a 24-hour house arrest.
Any visitors will have to get
our permission first.
And anyone who publishes your writing...
or quotes you directly or indirectly
will be in violation of the law. All right?
You're lucky we found you in time.
Did you think we wouldn't?
What's wrong with you? What did they do?
I'm just very tired, darling.
I've been sick.
Mommy was in the ambulance.
Did they torture you?
Don't ask all these questions.
Your mother's tired.
They tortured Solomon.
Elsie says they put wires all over his body
and then gave him electric shocks.
Come on. Let's leave Mommy to sleep.
Come on, darling. Off we go.
Come, lovey. Come.
- Hello.
-ls Elsie there?
Why?
Look, call her for us.
There's a problem. Please.
Your cousin's outside.
Something's happened.
Mom, you'd better come.
Something's happened.
They've killed him. Solomon, my brother.
They've killed him.
Why don't you just go away
and leave us alone?
"My Gus.
"This is a strange place for this message...
"but it's the only way I can say goodbye.
"We never planned for these times, did we?
"I can't imagine life outside of here.
"I apologize for my cowardice.
"I have not given in."
Jude, please, may you pass me that cake?
- This one?
- Yes.
- Save room for what's coming.
- Come on, Molly.
Don't you want something?
Come on, darling. Eat up.
Nice?
You've got lots of presents, Miriam.
- Shall I take them out?
- Are you going to open that now?
You did it so well.
- Do you like it?
- What are you going to call it?
Don't know. Snoopy.
That's very original.
- But, Mommy, how did you get it?
- Magic.
Another present.
Mommy, that's one of the cards
that I gave to my friends.
- That's nice. Thank you, Granny.
- Oh, it was a pleasure.
Happy birthday, Miriam.
Happy birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Miriam
We're just checking, Mrs. Roth.
You keep a 24-hour watch on this house.
How could I leave?
We'll take a look around.
Will you cut the cake?
Blow out the candles, darling.
- She's mad. Crazy.
- She's a child.
She's not a child. She's an animal.
- Get out of my house.
- Be careful.
Be careful what you say, Mrs. Roth.
I'm not going to say it again.
Come on.
You stay here.
Can't you understand? You mustn't let them
see how they affect you.
It only makes it worse.
Why are you angry with me,
after what you tried to do?
What did I try to do?
- You know.
- No, I don't know. What did I do?
You tried to kill yourself.
I read what you wrote.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
I trusted you.
That was a secret place.
I asked you to respect that.
Stop talking about that stupid drawer.
You tried to leave us.
You don't care about us.
You should never even have had us!
Stay here. We have to talk.
I don't want to stay!
I don't want to talk to you!
I have to talk to you.
Listen to me. Please, listen to me.
I was breaking apart.
What good would I have been to you
in pieces?
I was afraid. I was afraid I would have put
other people in danger.
What people?
Our friends, people like Harold.
Your friends. Your friends, your work,
that's all you care about.
All right. My friends. My work. Yes.
But what we care about
is the whole country.
What about me?
You live here, you eat here.
I'm down the passage.
- But what about Elsie's children?
- I'm not Elsie's child. I'm your child!
Listen to me!
Elsie can't live with her children. Why?
Because she's Black.
At Sharpeville, people were shot down,
shot in the back, shot running away.
Solomon has been murdered
because he was Black.
I know that! Stop treating me like a child!
All right. You're right.
You do know. I know you know.
But I also know how much you'd understand
if you only let yourself.
You never tell me anything.
I don't know what's going on.
We can't even talk amongst ourselves.
It's not safe.
I don't even know where Daddy is.
Why he left. It's not fair.
You're never with me.
It's not fair.
You're right.
It's not fair.
It's not fair.
And I'm so sorry it's not fair.
You deserve to have a mother.
Well, you do have one.
Just not the way you want her.
I love you.
We both love you.
I don't even know where he is.
I know he's doing what...
Mandela and Sisulu and the others
should be doing.
And I know...
that if he hadn't left when he did...
he'd be with them right now,
serving a life sentence.
Times have changed.
I love you, all right?
Solomon's being buried tomorrow.
I'm going to go to the funeral.
But you can't leave the house.
They'll arrest you again.
Perhaps.
I want to go.
- Are you sure?
- He was my friend.
Solomon Mabusa was one of us.
What he suffered, we all suffer.
We do not mourn him. We honor him...
and we say that
the only true tribute to him...
is to pick up the spear
from where it has fallen.
Solomon is just one, one man.
And when we defy them...
when we resist in ourselves...
when we resist in our hundreds...
when we resist in our thousands...
in our millions...
then victory is certain.
Africa!
- Molly, I have to go.
- Where are you going?
Some place.
- When will you be coming back?
- I don't know.
Few weeks, maybe a month.
- Are you going out of the country?
- Molly, enough.
It's my work.
You know I can't talk about it.
You'll hear from me. I promise.
I love you very much.
Be cheerful, my honey.
Dad.
- Wish me luck.
- Yes, good luck.
Your sixth position, don't forget.
See you next week. Thank you, girls.
Molly, Yvonne, come.
There's my mom. Come on.
- Come on.
- I'm going to my mother's office.
- Get in, I'll drop you there.
-It's okay. It's only around the corner.
You can't walk on your own.
Come on, get in.
Stop it, Yvonne. You make him crazy.
Don't move him! Call an ambulance.
- Why don't we take him?
- No, I don't want to get involved.
- Hello, Molly.
- Hello.
- Hello, Mom.
- Hello, darling.
- Hello, Molly. How's school?
- Okay, thank you.
Fiona, ready.
"Thousands of Africans
are being kidnapped...
"shanghaied away from their towns
and their families...
"to do enforced labor on the farms."
Full stop.
"South Africa will not have farm workers
with a love and knowledge of the land...
"until they are ensured of a living wage...
"education, and above all...
"the freedom to enjoy the fullness of life."
Full stop.
New paragraph.
"The farm-labor scandal brings to the fore...
"the worst features of the apartheid
cheap-labor state...
"and gives them a new
and more hideous form."
That's it. Leave three columns
for the picture. Bye.
Mom, can we go now?
In a minute. I won't be long.
The South African government today...
announced the first arrests
under the 90-Day Detention Act.
The act confers power
on the security forces...
to detain people without trial
for up to 90 days for interrogation...
and follows in the wake
of the increased underground activity...
by the banned African National Congress.
Opponents of the government fear that
the new law will provide further freedom...
to the Security Police to imprison
and harass people who oppose apartheid.
Under an agreement
between Washington and Moscow...
That's it.
Molly, let's go.
Can you drop them off
at the house this afternoon?
Oh, Jesus Christ, Diana.
No, I promised the kids.
Marge has made arrangements.
You promised that report days ago.
Now I have to work on it over the weekend.
- Yeah?
- Don't make me feel bad about this, Harold.
See you later, Saeeda.
You promised we'd get the lace today.
Darling, I may have done,
but there's no time.
I'll drop you off at the store
and meet you at the hairdresser.
Mom, I need you to help me.
The competition's on Tuesday.
Then you'll have to wait.
I'll treat you to a hairdo. How about that?
Mom, there was an accident
on the corner of Anderson Street today.
It was a Black man,
a Black man on a bicycle.
Damn, I've left something behind. Here.
I'll meet you at the car.
I went to the hairdresser. Do you like it?
All right, Molly.
- Granny, guess what?
- What?
We've got a letter from Daddy.
Thank you, Milius.
There are some things in the back.
What did Daddy have to say in his letter?
"...by the swimming pool.
-"Molly, good luck."
- Kept all the lovely tarts for Gran.
"Jude, those were excellent exam marks."
The dustbins were in the way.
Why do you always keep them in that place?
I've got some biscuits
and some oranges in the car.
You brought us a sack last week.
You know we have oranges on the tree.
Hello, darling. That looks nice.
- Hello, darling.
- Hello, Nana.
You shouldn't hang about with wet hair,
Molly, you'll get pneumonia.
Is he well? ls there news?
Mom, I'm going to be out of town next
Wednesday. Can you collect the kids?
- But, Mom, I've got riding on Wednesday.
- I've made plans.
- I'll have to cancel them.
- I'll find someone else.
It's okay, Diana.
It's only an exhibition opening.
I can go on another day.
If you've made plans,
then it doesn't matter now.
My plans aren't important, Diana. I'll do it.
- Mom, the letter.
- Come, Gran.
- When's he coming back?
- Who?
- Daddy.
- I don't know.
He doesn't know.
But when do you think?
A week, eleven days,
at the end of the month.
I don't know. Neither does he.
- I miss him.
- So do I.
He misses us, as well. You know that.
What do you think? How do I look?
You look beautiful.
- Bye-bye, darling.
- Bye.
- George.
- Go away.
- What happened?
- Police at the back.
The wealth of the Reef gold mines
lies not in the richness of the strike...
but in the low costs of production...
kept down by the abundance of cheap labor.
Note to myself to check the suppressed
1960 Mines Commission Report.
The majority of workers are migrants...
a system responsible
for the most blatant exploitation...
of the largest single labor force
in South Africa.
I think I should elaborate
on the disastrous social effects.
When the door is closed, you knock.
You know that.
What are you doing?
I'm working. I don't want to be interrupted.
- Go have your breakfast.
-ls that a hiding place?
Yes.
And you must keep it a secret.
Do you understand?
Look at me. Do you understand?
- What do you keep in there?
- Molly, that's enough.
What do you want?
One, two, three, four...
five, six, seven, eight.
One, two, three, four.
There's some men over there.
- Let's do it again.
- But there's men over there.
Get back.
I'm Solomon Mabusa. This is Sipho Dlamini.
- I'm Elsie's brother.
- Go fetch her.
- Are you the one who's been in jug?
- Yes.
- Come on, Molly. Let's do it again.
- In a minute.
Come in the house.
Solomon's here.
Oh, my brother.
All right.
- Come.
-ls she here?
- Yes, she's here.
- We need to see her.
- We can--
- I'll take you.
Straight down the end.
You dropped something.
Beautiful.
Black for the people.
Green for the land. Yellow for the gold.
- Sorry we didn't phone.
- That's fine. Come in.
We have decided to give you a new contact.
Will they get in touch with me
in the usual way?
- No, something went wrong.
- Molly, come on.
We're to get a new procedure.
To boys.
Okay.
Get rid of your drinks.
Quickly.
May I see your warrant?
This is a warrant for the arrest of Gus Roth.
He's not here.
I'm surprised, Mrs. Roth.
You're having a party without him.
It's her birthday.
We'll just take a look around.
I don't need a warrant, Mrs. Roth...
to charge you under Section 94 of
the Prohibition of intoxicating Liquor Act...
which prohibits the supply
of alcoholic beverages to Blacks.
Do you see anyone here with a drink?
We want the names of everybody here.
Why does he want our names?
ls he going to take mine, too?
No, we're not old enough.
- Who did that?
- Who did what, Abelson?
"Who did what, Abelson?"
Why doesn't your father come back, Molly,
and face his punishment like a man?
- You don't know what you're talking about.
- Everyone knows he's a communist traitor.
Ivoetsak, you weren't even born here!
I swear, if I get my hands on you...
Do you have anything to say?
That's all then.
Molly, will you stay behind?
Is everything all right at home?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Have you heard from your father?
No, ma'am.
All right, child. You may go.
-It was windy yesterday.
- Stop that.
- You get all kinds of diseases from animals.
- What diseases?
- Leprosy, polio, scabies, rheumatism.
- If you say it, Jude...
I will kill you.
- Hi, Diana. Can we talk?
- Yes, of course.
Someone's been talking. We think we know--
How are you, Harold?
You're very immature at times, child!
Who was it, Mom?
- Who was what, Molly?
- Who's been talking?
Nobody.
- What did Harold say?
- Nothing.
The headmistress asked me questions
about Daddy today.
What questions?
- What did she say?
- Nothing.
This is Nelson. This is Walter.
This is Albertina, and this is Lilian.
This one is Lilian.
The little one is Albertina.
Are you sad?
Yes, I'm sad.
- Mom, where are you going?
- To the township. There's a bus protest.
- Can I come?
-It's 5:30 in the morning. You've got school.
Please, Mom, let me come with, please.
All right, go put on your uniform. Hurry.
Out of the way, man.
Over the Royals that obscure
Alexandra Township...
from the main road is coming
an eruption of workers from the town house.
The mood is cheerful, resilient.
They are singing...
chanting "Azikwelwa, "
they shall not be ridden.
"We have no money."
End to end,
the road is filled with hurrying figures.
Men, women,
babies tied securely to their backs.
Solomon.
- Can you see him, Mom?
- Yes, there.
Come and join us.
We are here already.
- Hello, my little twisting sister.
- Hello, Solomon.
- How are you?
- Okay.
- Are you coming to march with us?
- I have to go to school.
But it's nice seeing you.
Okay, see you guys.
Hey, give us a ride.
Get out, now.
- Have you got a license?
- A license for what?
- For carrying passengers.
- We're reporters, not taxi drivers.
Don't get smart with me, lady.
- And who's this?
- My daughter.
What kind of mother are you?
Next week she'll be sleeping
with the Kaffirs.
Judging from the colored population,
your forefathers didn't do too badly.
What are you doing here?
Where's your passport?
Come on, mate. Quickly.
Boy, come here!
- Bring me a lemonade.
- Bet you his name isn't boy.
Shut up. He's only helping here.
I don't know his name.
Anyway, he's a man.
Hello, darlings.
Are you having a fabulous time?
Don't look so serious, Molly.
Relax, enjoy yourself.
- Dance, circulate.
- Mom, my dress.
Isn't she gorgeous? Just look at this face.
When I look at this face, I could eat it up.
Ma, get off me.
- Is there any lipstick still on?
- Yes, just a little.
- Shall we dance?
- Okay.
Hello, Peggy.
Hello, Molly. Have a sit.
Have you had anything to eat yet?
Your father and mother are brave people.
You must be proud of them.
No, Peggy.
What is the matter with you, man?
Not enough olives,
and where's the parsley and the color?
Where's the red pepper?
Hello, bubbala.
Come on, chop-chop.
There are people starving out there.
...three years in this position.
Do you want something, Molly?
- Have you seen Yvonne?
- No.
Yes, over there.
That's the oldest daughter
of Gus and Diana Roth.
You know them?
The communist who skipped the country.
- I'll see you tomorrow then.
- Please don't forget your--
- I won't.
- Okay, bye.
Where's Mom?
She's at home.
She asked me to pick you up.
Out!
Gran, how come she's always allowed
to sit in the front?
It's not fair.
0h. my God!
She's in the study. Molly, hang on.
What's going on, Gran?
You're not going to take the address book.
You can't take that.
It's got the telephone numbers of our
doctor, dentist, all the children's--
There are names and numbers
of banned people in there.
For God's sake, I'm a journalist.
Diana, what's happening?
- They're arresting me.
- Oh, no.
It's 90 days.
- Oh, my God.
- Mom, please.
Go and pack your suitcase, Mrs. Roth.
Come on, come and help me.
Jude, don't forget to remind Gran
about the orthodontist this week.
Molly, you must ask the Abelsons
to collect you for riding.
No books except the Bible.
No writing paper, no papers.
- No pills, no medicine.
- I have an ulcer. I'm going to need these.
Mommy, how long is 90 days?
Three months, 12 weeks, 90 days.
But, Mommy, it's my birthday.
Darling...
it's not your birthday till December.
I won't miss it, I promise you.
Don't cry.
It will all come right. It'll all be all right.
Mommy, please don't go away. Please.
Please don't go. Mommy, please don't go.
- Mommy, please--
- Let's go.
Mommy, please don't go.
Mommy, don't go!
Let's go.
Mom!
Mommy.
"Rhodesia."
Quarrel in Rhodesia.
Qualms in Rhodesia.
Quadruplets.
Qualm in Rhodesia.
She went upstairs with her mom
to the toilet...
and they had this nice gate,
you know, those kind.
And the gate was open when they went up.
But then...
they came back and the gate was locked.
And we heard about Mr. Bromberg.
He's a spirit.
- And--
- You don't believe that, do you?
No, but now I do.
And Michelle Bromberg came up...
and said, "What's happening up here?"
So we said:
"We got stuck up here in the gate."
When are you going back to school?
Sooner or later you're going to have to.
That's where Mom sits.
That's where Dad sits.
Sometimes I wonder if you've got a heart.
You've nothing to say?
- Yes.
- Yes?
Yes, I want to write to my children.
I need pen and paper, please.
Answer our questions, sign a statement...
and, in no time,
you'll be back with your children.
Everybody else is talking.
No one will ever know.
We know all about you, anyway.
This was on the May 5.
This is the 11th.
This is the 27th.
This is the June 14.
Would you like to see more?
The one who got away.
- You're lucky you were late.
- If you know so much...
why don't you charge me?
You're an obstinate woman, Mrs. Roth.
You're lucky we're decent people.
We have feelings for women in this country.
Oh, God.
I didn't. I did not.
She's back.
- Hello.
- I didn't know when you were coming back.
You didn't try very hard to find out.
Molly, I was so busy.
I had to find another partner.
- Sorry about the competition.
- Don't worry about it. It was stupid, anyway.
Hey, I got something for you.
Look.
Is your mother all right?
Have you seen her?
No, she's not allowed visitors yet.
Do you need help catching up
with the work you've missed?
No, it's okay.
- How's your grandmother?
- She's fine.
She's not a young woman.
If you find it difficult at home...
you could come and board here.
Just until this is over.
And if you want to talk about anything...
I'm here.
Have you visited your mother in prison?
The war lasted more than two years.
The Transvaal allied
with the Orange Free State...
fought against troops
from the entire British Empire.
Here...
women and children were kept in
concentration camps by the British.
Like the American War of Independence,
this was the Afrikaner's fight...
for the liberty
and independence of his country.
Our country.
- Molly, are you with us?
- No, she's against us.
- There's Mom.
- All right.
I'll come home with you.
I'll get my gran to pick me up.
- Are you coming? Mom's got to go.
- Look, I'll phone you.
Hello, it's Molly.
Fine, thank you. ls Yvonne there?
Okay. Bye.
- Take that off!
- Molly.
Get out of my room! And you!
- What did I do?
- Get out!
- Yes.
-It's Molly. I want to see Yvonne.
- Who is it? Hello?
-ls Yvonne there? It's Molly.
- What the hell are you doing here?
- I want to see Yvonne.
- Who brought you here?
- Nobody.
- Then how did you get here?
- I walked.
I'm taking you home.
- Gerald, let me take her.
- I am taking her home.
- Gerald, let me take her.
- You get in the car, Molly.
- Don't interfere. I am taking her home!
- Stop shouting.
- Don't let me have--
- Dad!
Get in the car. Molly!
Dad.
And stay away from Yvonne!
- Elsie.
- Where have you been, Molly?
You gave us such a terrible fright.
Come on, hurry up.
Get dressed. They're waiting for you.
This is very dramatic.
This has nothing to do with us.
- What do you want me to say?
- How would you feel if this was your family?
Your husband, your children?
This is what you people do. You murderers!
Murderers?
You want to talk about murderers?
Why don't you show me the pictures
of the 69 you murdered at Sharpeville?
Give her respect.
Perhaps we can arrange
for you to see your children.
How are you?
Look who's here. The champion twister.
Welcome to my home.
Sweetheart.
He's blind.
He's our grandfather.
Okay.
Okay?
Don't laugh at Molly.
She's strong like her mother.
You strike the woman, you strike the rock,
and you dislodge a boulder...
and it crushes you.
I'm giving it to you.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
Isn't it very nice?
- Yeah.
-It is?
Okay, let's eat.
Elsie.
There's a foot in my soup.
Eat it. You must eat it. It's the best part
of the chicken. It will make you rich.
I can't.
My mothers, fathers,
my brothers and sisters...
comrades all, I greet you
in the name of the struggle.
We cry for our land.
It is a cry we hear in our sleep...
a cry each one of us feels in his soul.
These broken houses where we live...
this poor church in which we meet today,
were not always here.
You.
And you.
You remember this place in another time
when you were children...
when all the slums were green fields,
and the land was ours.
And then the Dutchmen came,
and the Englishmen came...
and branded their flags,
and called our land theirs.
They filled our lives with such misery...
that for many years,
we even forgot to dream of freedom.
But 50 years later, we remembered again.
Fifty years later,
our movement and our struggle began.
We asked for a share of what was ours...
and the dignity to live as fellow men.
And when they did not hear us,
we raised our voice again and again.
What was their reply?
Taste the graveyards of Croesus.
Taste the graveyards of Nancefield.
They are salty with our people's blood.
How long are we going to stand
with our beggar's tins and cry?
The time has come now for another cry.
The time has come for a different cry.
Forward with the arms struggle.
Forward with Mandela's soldiers.
- This is the house of God.
- Not for terrorists.
We're taking you on a goodbye tour.
Come on, let's twist again. Come on. Twist.
Miriam, Jude, come on.
Come on. You're not moving enough.
I'm sorry, Mrs. Abrahams, but your daughter
has been transferred to Pretoria.
- Then why did you make us come here?
- I didn't. Look, we tried to reach you.
When? There's always somebody
at the house.
Gran, what about the food?
Molly, come.
Jude, come.
I don't want any potato.
It's nothing serious, you know.
Your granny's just been
under a lot of strain lately.
She's going to go away to rest,
just for a few weeks.
You can come and stay with us. See?
- I want to stay here.
- Me, too.
Elsie will be here. We can stay with her.
Molly, I won't be here.
I've got to be with my family.
- Okay, then I'll board at school.
- Molly, can I come with you?
- What do you want?
- I just dropped by to see you.
- Where's your little friend?
- Why? Are you missing him?
At least he's honest.
And what do you think of me?
I don't think about you at all.
I brought something for you.
I'm still in...
I'm still in pain...
and I'm not sleeping.
I'm out of sleeping pills.
I'll speak to the doctor.
But unless you start to eat,
that won't do you much good.
Do you miss your children?
- Why don't you answer?
- Because it's a stupid question.
Molly's not so crazy about boarding school.
Boarding school?
Little ones aren't so happy
about being sent away, either.
What's going on? Where's my mother?
Didn't I tell you? She's taken a little trip.
What do you mean? Where is she?
Have you taken her in?
You're not the only person in this country...
to suffer the consequences of your politics.
You're wasting your time.
I won't make a statement.
I know you're out to trap me.
We don't have any evidence to trap you.
You'll make it up if you haven't got it.
You have a twisted mind.
You follow me, you open my letters...
tap my telephone, have me arrested...
and you want me to believe
you're going to come...
to a free and unprejudiced decision
on my future. I do not trust you!
Then you have nothing left to trust!
Your people have denounced you publicly.
One of your friends saw you riding
in the Security Branch car.
Someone's been naming names,
they think it's you.
You bastard.
Your family is suffering
as a result of your delusions.
All this hand wringing,
playing Joan of Arc, it's nothing.
They're nothing but an excuse
for being a terrible mother.
Unless you make a statement,
you'll die in your cell...
and no one will know what happened.
You've wasted your life.
You could have done so much.
You can take her now.
Wardress, come here.
What's the matter now?
- Where are my books?
- What books? You're not allowed books.
You bastards! No books!
No books!
No books!
Good, much better. Right.
Keep it up. That's good.
Molly Roth.
The school secretary wants to see you.
Right. Come on, girls. Let's keep it moving.
Good.
Molly, I got chicken pox.
I was sick over the weekend.
Molly, you know that exam? I passed.
- Are you better?
- Much better. Thank you, darling.
- Where are we going?
- To see Mommy.
- I don't want to go.
- Oh, come on, Molly.
No, Gran, they'll do it again.
Are you cracking up?
Everybody's depending on you.
Can I be alone with my children?
Just ignore me and forget I'm here.
- Mommy, look what we brought you.
- What?
You brought me something?
Thank you, darling. Bubble gum.
- Mom, I came first in class.
- Open one, Mommy, and then you'll see.
See? Any one?
"Did you know...
"that the skin of an elephant
is 1 inch thick?"
I didn't know that.
"Did you know...
"that zip fasteners were first used
in the 19th century?"
See, Mommy, it's something for you to read.
Thank you.
Molly, darling, how's school?
How's Yvonne?
We're not really friends anymore.
Gerald grabbed her
and dragged her through the street.
It's doesn't matter anymore.
I know. It's difficult.
But you'll make new friends.
It's horrible. I hate the school.
I don't know what's going to happen.
Don't cry. Not here.
Not in front of them, all right?
Seventy-three, seventy-six, seventy-eight...
eighty. eighty-two...
eighty-four, eighty-six, eighty-eight.
Two, four, six, eight.
Pack your things, Mrs. Roth.
We're releasing you.
- Let me see the release order.
- The duty sergeant has it.
Roth.
Your release papers.
Can I use the telephone?
There's a public phone
on the street outside.
You can leave your suitcase here.
I'll take it with me.
Diana Roth? We're arresting you.
Clause 17 of the General Law Amendment
Act of 1963. Ninety days.
Hi.
You Okay?
I haven't spoken to your sisters, you know.
But you are old enough...
and you understand.
At least, I think you do.
You have to prepare yourself
not to be disappointed.
It's a very good thing
they haven't charged her.
But they may keep her in prison
for a very long time.
But we're by ourselves.
Elsie's children have been on their own
all their life.
I know. But I'm not talking about them.
Yeah, but you always have to. Do you see?
- How can you live here and do nothing?
- A lot of people do.
Yeah, and what do you think of them?
We also have to live with ourselves,
you know?
Not just for now, but for later, as well.
Do you understand?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
What's the difference?
Who did you see most at these meetings?
Adrian Lee.
Petrus Nkosi.
Yusaf Patel.
Where did these meetings take place?
In my house, in my motorcar...
in the home of Ivan Stanley.
Go on.
It's a funny thing, isn't it?
That every name you've given us is
the name of someone who's left the country.
We know every meeting you attended...
we saw you come, we saw you go.
You were the only woman there.
Yet you pretend you know nothing
of what happened...
that nothing happened was worth knowing.
We have enough evidence to charge you
right now, over and over again.
But we happen to have respect for women
in this country.
Yeah.
I'm going to give you one more chance.
We'll continue tomorrow.
We've dealt with you communists before.
And we've learnt...
that you've got to be
pushed up against the wall and squeezed.
Pushed and squeezed
and squashed into a corner.
Then you change. Then you talk.
She's too comfortable here.
- We should move her downstairs.
- Get out.
I will not make another statement.
Look, I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry
that you're doing this to yourself.
And I don't know
whether I'll be seeing you anymore.
What can I say?
Good luck.
You really should eat, you know.
It makes no sense.
You're the one that's going to suffer.
I hope you're satisfied.
We're releasing you.
But we're placing you under
a 24-hour house arrest.
Any visitors will have to get
our permission first.
And anyone who publishes your writing...
or quotes you directly or indirectly
will be in violation of the law. All right?
You're lucky we found you in time.
Did you think we wouldn't?
What's wrong with you? What did they do?
I'm just very tired, darling.
I've been sick.
Mommy was in the ambulance.
Did they torture you?
Don't ask all these questions.
Your mother's tired.
They tortured Solomon.
Elsie says they put wires all over his body
and then gave him electric shocks.
Come on. Let's leave Mommy to sleep.
Come on, darling. Off we go.
Come, lovey. Come.
- Hello.
-ls Elsie there?
Why?
Look, call her for us.
There's a problem. Please.
Your cousin's outside.
Something's happened.
Mom, you'd better come.
Something's happened.
They've killed him. Solomon, my brother.
They've killed him.
Why don't you just go away
and leave us alone?
"My Gus.
"This is a strange place for this message...
"but it's the only way I can say goodbye.
"We never planned for these times, did we?
"I can't imagine life outside of here.
"I apologize for my cowardice.
"I have not given in."
Jude, please, may you pass me that cake?
- This one?
- Yes.
- Save room for what's coming.
- Come on, Molly.
Don't you want something?
Come on, darling. Eat up.
Nice?
You've got lots of presents, Miriam.
- Shall I take them out?
- Are you going to open that now?
You did it so well.
- Do you like it?
- What are you going to call it?
Don't know. Snoopy.
That's very original.
- But, Mommy, how did you get it?
- Magic.
Another present.
Mommy, that's one of the cards
that I gave to my friends.
- That's nice. Thank you, Granny.
- Oh, it was a pleasure.
Happy birthday, Miriam.
Happy birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Miriam
We're just checking, Mrs. Roth.
You keep a 24-hour watch on this house.
How could I leave?
We'll take a look around.
Will you cut the cake?
Blow out the candles, darling.
- She's mad. Crazy.
- She's a child.
She's not a child. She's an animal.
- Get out of my house.
- Be careful.
Be careful what you say, Mrs. Roth.
I'm not going to say it again.
Come on.
You stay here.
Can't you understand? You mustn't let them
see how they affect you.
It only makes it worse.
Why are you angry with me,
after what you tried to do?
What did I try to do?
- You know.
- No, I don't know. What did I do?
You tried to kill yourself.
I read what you wrote.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
I trusted you.
That was a secret place.
I asked you to respect that.
Stop talking about that stupid drawer.
You tried to leave us.
You don't care about us.
You should never even have had us!
Stay here. We have to talk.
I don't want to stay!
I don't want to talk to you!
I have to talk to you.
Listen to me. Please, listen to me.
I was breaking apart.
What good would I have been to you
in pieces?
I was afraid. I was afraid I would have put
other people in danger.
What people?
Our friends, people like Harold.
Your friends. Your friends, your work,
that's all you care about.
All right. My friends. My work. Yes.
But what we care about
is the whole country.
What about me?
You live here, you eat here.
I'm down the passage.
- But what about Elsie's children?
- I'm not Elsie's child. I'm your child!
Listen to me!
Elsie can't live with her children. Why?
Because she's Black.
At Sharpeville, people were shot down,
shot in the back, shot running away.
Solomon has been murdered
because he was Black.
I know that! Stop treating me like a child!
All right. You're right.
You do know. I know you know.
But I also know how much you'd understand
if you only let yourself.
You never tell me anything.
I don't know what's going on.
We can't even talk amongst ourselves.
It's not safe.
I don't even know where Daddy is.
Why he left. It's not fair.
You're never with me.
It's not fair.
You're right.
It's not fair.
It's not fair.
And I'm so sorry it's not fair.
You deserve to have a mother.
Well, you do have one.
Just not the way you want her.
I love you.
We both love you.
I don't even know where he is.
I know he's doing what...
Mandela and Sisulu and the others
should be doing.
And I know...
that if he hadn't left when he did...
he'd be with them right now,
serving a life sentence.
Times have changed.
I love you, all right?
Solomon's being buried tomorrow.
I'm going to go to the funeral.
But you can't leave the house.
They'll arrest you again.
Perhaps.
I want to go.
- Are you sure?
- He was my friend.
Solomon Mabusa was one of us.
What he suffered, we all suffer.
We do not mourn him. We honor him...
and we say that
the only true tribute to him...
is to pick up the spear
from where it has fallen.
Solomon is just one, one man.
And when we defy them...
when we resist in ourselves...
when we resist in our hundreds...
when we resist in our thousands...
in our millions...
then victory is certain.
Africa!