Summary: After having an affair with a student, a Cape Town professor moves to the Eastern Cape, where he gets caught up in a mess of post-apartheid politics.

Year: 2016

Australian Cinema Release Date: 18th June 2009

Australian DVD Release Date: October 2009

Country: Australia, South Africa

Director: Steve Jacobs

Screenwriter: Anna Marie Monticelli, J.M. Coetzee (novel)

Cast: Paula Arundell (Dr. Farodia Rassool), Natalie Becker (Soraya), Terence Bridgett (Sidney), Amy Brittow (Desiree Issacs), Isabella de Viliers (Mrs. Cundell), David Dennis (Mr. Isaacs), Buyami Duma (Pollux), Eriq Ebouaney (Petrus), Antoinette Engel (Melanie Issacs),Antonio Fisher (Sidney),  Jessica Haines (Lucy Lurie), Anne Looby (Rosalind), John Malcovich (Professor David Lurie), Cindy Mkaza(Mrs. Mbeti), Denise Newman (Mrs. Isaacs), Fiona Press (Bev Shaw), Barry Quin (Desmond Swarts), Monroe Reimers (Hakim), Michael Richard (Bill Shaw), David Ritchie (Manas Mathbane), Ian Roberts (Ettinger), Ntobeko Rwanda (Orator), Eve Szapira (Mrs. Cundell), Charles Tertiens (Ryan)

Runtime: 119 mins

Classification: M

 

OUR DISGRACE REVIEWS & RATINGS:

 

David Griffiths:

It’s a major scoop to get an actor with the skills of John Malkovich to star in an Australian funded film, it’s an added bonus that the film turns out as good as ‘Disgrace’ has.

Based on JM Coetzee’s novel ‘Disgrace’ tells the story of Cape Town university lecturer, David Lurie (John Malkovich). who has a sexual relationship with one of his students. David is forced to resign and decides to head to his daughter Lucy’s (Jessica Haines) farm. In the middle of post-apartheid South Africa she is trying to farm-share with a South African native, Petrus (Eriq Ebouaney), a man who David straight away doesn’t trust. Lucy and David’s relationship is strained, can they rely on each other when they really need to.

Australian director, Steve Jacobs does an amazing job on a film that can be confronting and awkward for the audience to the watch. He does an amazing job in protecting the audience from some of the more violent scenes but not losing any of the emotion generated from these events… a lot of directors wouldn’t have the skill to pull such an amazing feat off.

As you would expect Malkovich is at the top of his game and manages to make what most people would consider an ‘unlikeable’ character one where you are actually concerned what happens him. He is well supported by Jessica Haines who plays an extremely difficult role to perfection.

‘Disrace’ may not be a comfortable watch but it is well worth the effort.

 

 

Average Subculture Rating (out of 5):  

 

IMDB Rating: 

 

Other Subculture Entertainment Disgrace reviews: This Disgrace review first appeared in Buzz Magazine – October 2009.

Trailer: