Synopsis
A drama that chronicles the life of Winnie Mandela from her childhood through her marriage and her husband's incarceration.
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Cast
- Jennifer HudsonWinnie Mandela
- Terrence HowardNelson Mandela
- Elias KoteasColonel de Vries
- Wendy CrewsonMary Botha
- Angelique PretoriusMarcia
- Karl ThaningFerry Policeman
- Conrad KempBrandfort Policeman
- Garth BreytenbachRoadblock Policeman
- David DennisChairperson Truth & Reconciliation Commission
- Mary-Ann BarlowTRC Reporter
Recommendations
- 50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Winnie begins as hagiography and ends in hellish confusion. - 50
Village Voice
A story that probably could have been told better as a miniseries, the film's main strength is its performances. - 40
The Guardian
The source material is Anne Marie du Preez Bezdrob's biography, and the period detail is spot on. Yet Winnie: the movie opts to wear its heart openly on its sleeve, and play it absurdly safe. - 40
The Hollywood Reporter
Solid performances are undercut by lack of storytelling integrity in this plodding biopic. - 40
Time Out
This twist doesn’t so much probe the situation’s ambiguities as reflect the filmmaker’s uncertainty about how to properly portray a major historical figure in all her troubling complexity. - 40
Variety
Decently acted despite screenplay shortcomings. - 40
The Dissolve
Director Darrell Roodt’s by-the-numbers biopic suffers from clunky dialogue and shallow characterization, all while never deciding what to make of its leading lady. - 40
New York Daily News
Any urgency the movie has comes from co-star Terrence Howard, a firebrand of an actor who can’t be contained by a paint-by-numbers script.
